An Israeli air strike on a Gaza convoy fleeing south along the IDF-approved route kills up to 70 people – including women and children as young as two
An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing the northern Gaza Strip along a route allegedly approved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed up to 70 people, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry.
A BBC report said women and children aged two to five were among the dead after a convoy of Palestinian vehicles fleeing the northern Gaza Strip to the south was hit.
The IDF had allowed 1.1 million civilians to escape to the south of the territory for just 24 hours, a period that ended at 3am BST. It was reported today that Gazans could safely escape via two main roads between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. BST).
Many Palestinians are struggling to flee areas under attack by the Israeli military while grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel halted the flow of resources to the region.
Reports emerged yesterday afternoon, along with a video of the devastation on the scene following the strike.
An Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian convoy fleeing the northern Gaza Strip along a route allegedly approved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed up to 70 people, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry
The BBC Verify service said it had confirmed that the attack took place on Salah al-Din Road, one of two evacuation routes from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south.
Hamas terrorists have urged civilians to ignore orders to evacuate, and some are refusing to leave. Mahmoud Shalabi, director of medical assistance for Palestinians, said “no place in Gaza is safe” and he hoped to “die with dignity.”
The BBC identified at least 12 bodies in the footage, mostly women and children – some of whom appear to be as young as two to five years old.
As Gazans fled north yesterday following Israel’s evacuation order, the street was full of traffic.
According to the BBC report, the video was likely filmed around 5:30 p.m. local time due to the placement of the shadows.
Most of the people killed in the strike are seen lying in the back of a flatbed truck, mutilated and surrounded by pools of blood – while other victims lay dead on the road. Other cars destroyed in the strike can also be seen.
As a group of men ran towards a truck, some got on while others filmed the scene. People at the scene chanted prayers and screams for the victims of the strike as smoke filled the air.
The footage then shows the body of a child who, according to the BBC, is probably no older than four years old.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 70 people were killed at the scene and blamed Israel for the attack, the BBC reports.
BBC Verify later said they had confirmed another video of a Palestinian convoy fleeing the northern Gaza Strip near where the attack took place.
According to the report, there were more than 30 people in the vehicle, which was filmed before the strike – probably between 3.30pm and 5.20pm local time yesterday.
Sky News reached out to IDF Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner for comment. He said: “I am not aware of any IDF attacks at this location at this time, but we will keep updated throughout the day.”
When asked what it might mean if it were proven that Israel was responsible for the attack, he made it clear that the facts would have to be established first and said it was possible that Hamas could “do it itself.” .
He said: “We have to be very clear about what exactly happened, and we also have to be clear that Hamas is booby-trapping streets.”
“You could do it yourself.” Who knows? We are not.
“We have to be very, very careful in our assessment before we know the facts.”