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At least 40 Palestinians have been killed and a further 60 were injured during Israeli airstrikes on a tent encampment designated as a humanitarian zone in Khan Younis
, Gaza emergency services said.
Residents and medics said the tent encampment in the al-Mawasi area was struck by at least four missiles. The camp is crowded with displaced Palestinians who have fled from elsewhere in the enclave.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it “struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis”. Hamas denied its fighters were present at the scene of the strike.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Australian government confirmed it was coordinating with the UK and other allies to “pressure” Israel to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians
in Gaza and to stop the erosion of longstanding norms protecting aid workers.
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Main Image: A search and rescue operation after an Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment of displaced Palestinians in Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza. The IDF said it was targeting a Hamas control centre. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
