Gaza: Gaza's civil defense agency reported on Tuesday that an Israeli airstrike in a designated humanitarian zone in the southern city of Khan Yunis killed 40 people and injured 60 others. The strike hit the Al-Mawasi area, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge after it was initially marked as a safe zone by the Israeli military.

The Israeli army confirmed the strike but stated that it was targeting a Hamas command center operating within the zone. According to an army statement, Hamas has been using civilian and humanitarian zones for terrorist activities, a claim that Hamas has denied.

Civil defense teams continue to search for survivors, with at least 15 people still missing. Many tents were destroyed in the attack, leading officials to express concerns about entire families being buried beneath the rubble.

This latest strike is part of the ongoing conflict that began after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli casualties. In response, Israel has launched retaliatory strikes that have caused significant casualties in Gaza, with the death toll exceeding 40,988, as reported by Gaza's health ministry. The war has displaced most of Gaza's 2.4 million residents, many of whom are now crammed into shrinking safe zones.

Negotiations for a ceasefire and a hostage-prisoner exchange deal mediated by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have stalled, with Hamas demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Israel insisting on retaining forces along the Gaza-Egypt border.