In this genocidal attack on the Al-Mawasi area, 20 people were also injured, Khan Younis’s Director of Civil Defense Yamen Abu Suleiman told CNN, warning the death toll would likely rise.
A local hospital confirmed the fatalities so far, saying five children had been killed, CNN reported.
Video of the aftermath of the strike shows some of the child victims wearing new Eid clothing. In Middle Eastern tradition, children wear new clothes to celebrate the three-day holiday.
In the footage, a man is seen dragging a child toward the hospital, asking: “What was these children’s fault? They did nothing.”
CNN has approached the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are observing Eid this year in the face of dwindling aid supplies and a mounting death toll in the strip.
“Every year, I’m used to baking Eid cookies for my children,” one displaced woman, Ameneh Shaqla, told CNN. “But because of the current situation and how expensive everything has become, I was only able to prepare one kilogram — just to bring them some joy so they don’t stay sad because of the war.”
Abdel Fattah Khalil Karnawi, a street vendor, told of the soaring prices for clothing. “We came to the market to get Eid clothes for the children. Unfortunately, the circumstances are tough and prices are very high.”
Israel resumed its offensive on Gaza almost two weeks ago, shattering a two-month-old ceasefire. It imposed a complete blockade of humanitarian aid entering the enclave, warning that its forces would maintain a permanent presence in parts of Gaza until the release of the remaining 24 hostages who are believed to still be alive. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since then.
Al-Mawasi, a coastal region west of the city of Rafah, has repeatedly come under Israeli attacks, even though it was previously designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area.” Thousands of Palestinians have fled to Al-Mawasi, living for months in makeshift tents made of cloth and nylon, with little access to humanitarian relief.
