An Israeli attack targeting the Hamas military commander kills at least 71 in southern Gaza

Chaos as people flee after an Israeli airstrike hits Khan Younis

At least 71 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an aid site that Israel said targeted Hamas leaders, according to Hamas medical workers in Gaza. According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, more than 289 people were injured out of people. In , the bomb fell in the area of al-Mawasi near Khan Yunis, which the Israeli army recognized as a humanitarian area and shot Palestinians are encouraged to flee there. 

 An Israeli army chief said he did not know how many people were killed in the attack and would not say whether the two Hamas members were among the dead or wounded. 

 He said that the attack was based on the wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif - the main target of the Israeli army - and took place in an "open area" where "there are no civilians". 

 He declined to say whether he was in a designated security area or not, but said Hamas leaders "shamelessly" set him up in a civilian area. 

 alkhabrfdakika Verify reviewed footage of the attack and confirmed that it took place in an area listed on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website as a humanitarian zone. 

 The official also said that he was not aware of the arrests in the area during the October 7 attack by Israel. 

 Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas Khan Yunis, was also a target of the strike, the official said, adding that "good intelligence" had been gathered before the "appropriate stop". " 

 "This is not the first time that Israel has said that they will target Palestinian leaders, but once again it is proven to be false," the group said in a statement. 

 witnesses in al-Mawasi told the BBC that the scene of the explosion felt like an "earthquake", and footage from the scene showed smoke and blood injuries on the bed. People can be seen trying hard to free their hands from the waste of a large well.

Mohammed Deif has been operating in the shadows of Gaza for decades

A doctor at the hospital responsible for the attack told the alkhabrfdakika it was "the worst day". 

  Dr Mohammed Abu Rayya told the alkhabrfdakika Newshour that most of the cases had died, while others suffered gunshot wounds. 

 He said it was like being in "hell" and added that most of the injured were civilians, especially women and children. 

 footage from a nearby hospital in Kuwait showed chaotic scenes as patients were being treated on the ground. The 

  Nasser Health Center in Khan Younis is "overcrowded" and can no longer function, according to the British Palestinian Medical Aid Agency. 

 On Wednesday, the Israeli army called all residents of Gaza City to flee south to the center of the Gaza Strip as it works in the north. 

 Mohammed Deif, the leader of the al-Qassam Brigade of the militant wing of Hamas, was the main target of the Israeli army. 

 Deif had an almost legendary status in Gaza when he eluded capture and evaded several assassination attempts. 

 He is believed to be one of the leaders behind the October 7 attack by Hamas, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages back in Gaza. . 

 This led to Israel's largest operation in Gaza, where more than 38,400 Palestinians were killed, according to Hamas medical officials.