DaysPal- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a horrific massacre against displaced Palestinians in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area on Sunday 22 December 2024, which had been classified as a safe zone.
Israeli aircraft bombed several tents housing displaced families as they slept during the night, causing many to be burned alive, including women and children.
Muhammad Suleiman Madi, one of the survivors of the massacre, said : ‘I saw their bodies burning as they ran inside their tents. No one could get close to them to extinguish the flames because the fire was so intense.”
Madi, whose relatives were martyred in the massacre, recounted the harrowing experience, describing it as living through the horrors of the Day of Judgment.
He spoke of how the victims’ bodies were charred as the fire continued to consume them until they succumbed, all in the pitch darkness of an area where displaced families lived in dilapidated tents.
Madi said: ‘On Sunday evening, occupation aircraft bombed the tents of the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area, where we sought refuge after fleeing Rafah. The IOF had declared it a safe zone and urged people to go there, but it turned out to be a place where they kill us like birds.’
Madi described the horrifying scene as a ‘burning, moving ball of fire,’ with the flames engulfing the tents and the bodies of the displaced.
‘No one could approach them, save them, or ease their suffering. They were left to take their final breaths and become martyrs,’ he added.
The IOF committed a horrific massacre against displaced people in Al-Mawasi, where the bombing of their tents resulted in the martyrdom of 11 individuals and injuries to others.
Madi explained that two of his cousins were among the martyrs, along with several neighbors from the displacement camp.
From the site of the massacre, Ahmed Abu Sitta, a relative of the martyrs, shared with Palestine Online the horrifying details of the attack.
Abu Sitta recounted: ‘In Al-Mawasi, the displaced people go to sleep early due to the severe cold and the lack of electricity. At around 9:30 pm, an explosion occurred near our tent. When we went out to find out what had happened, I was shocked to see my relatives engulfed in flames.’
Abu Sitta, a citizen, highlighted the bloody massacre committed by the Israeli occupation against innocent displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, which had been falsely claimed to be ‘safe.’
The scenes of his relatives’ martyrdom were harrowing, as no one could extinguish the flames that consumed their bodies.
The grief and fear were evident on the young man’s face during the funeral of his martyred relatives, Bashar and Haitham, as they were laid to rest.
Abu Sitta recounted: ‘We could not find a single intact body of my relatives. If we hadn’t known their location at the time of the attack, we would not have recognized them after their martyrdom, as the occupation’s missiles had completely disfigured their bodies.’
The Death Zone
The Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, has become a killing ground for displaced Palestinians rather than the “safe zone” the Israeli occupation army claimed and promoted to the world as a location for providing “humanitarian services.”
The occupation forces have committed numerous massacres in Mawasi, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including women and firefighters, and the destruction and burning of displaced people’s shelters.
Mawasi, a sandy and barren area, lacks even the most necessities of life. It is home to approximately 1.7 million Palestinians who were forcibly displaced by the Israeli army under relentless bombardment.
Most of these individuals arrived in Mawasi during the attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, an operation that was officially announced to begin on May 6.
In the past 24 hours alone, the Israeli occupation forces have perpetrated five massacres against families in the Gaza Strip.
Hospitals have received 58 martyrs and 86 injured individuals, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health.
The ministry also reported that many victims remain trapped under rubble or stranded on roads, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them due to ongoing attacks.
Since October 7, 2023, the death toll from Israeli aggression has risen to 45,317 martyrs, with 107,713 injuries recorded.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=59592
