At least 22 people were killed in a strike on Saturday that hit a makeshift mosque in a displacement camp in west Gaza City, according to an official at the hospital treating the casualties.
Dr. Amjad Elewa, head of the emergency room at Al-Ahli Hospital, told CNN that 20 men were killed in the strike on the field mosque in Al Shati camp, with two more men dying on Sunday from their injuries.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told CNN that the bombing occurred “in the middle of the noon prayer.” He added that all the injuries were severe and required amputations.
Video footage from the scene shows bodies lying on prayer mats, with multiple dead and wounded people missing limbs.
The UN Human Rights Office commented on the incident during its daily briefing on Saturday, stating, “Around 1300 hours, the IDF reportedly struck a makeshift mosque inside Ash Al Shati’ Refugee Camp, west Gaza City. Reports indicate that because the IDF struck shortly after the noon prayer, many people were still inside or near the mosque.”
“The IDF has not made any comments on the incident so far. There was no report of a prior warning for either of the attacks,” the UN OHCHR said, also referring to an Israeli strike on a displacement camp in southern Gaza, which Israel stated targeted Hamas’ military chief, an alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks.
Source: CNN