- Civilians from Gaza, seeking to escape the region in a convoy, were struck by a fatal airstrike while traveling on one of the two routes labeled as “safe paths” to the southern section of the territory, as determined through analysis by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
- “We have 27 kids living here, nine of them are under 10. Normally we have 25 staff, but it is only me and one other care worker right now because of the situation,” he said when contacted by reporters on the phone.
Gazan civilians attempting to flee the enclave in a convoy were hit by a deadly airstrike. The convoy was travelling on one of the two roads identified by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) “safe routes” to the southern half of the strip, according to analysis.
The investigative unit of Forensic Architecture, associated with the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, employed aerial imagery and social media content to pinpoint the strike’s location, and these findings were shared with The Guardian. BBC’s Verify unit reached a similar conclusion: IDF had deliberately attacked the convoy.
Visual evidence, including videos and photographs taken after the attack, depicts the tragic aftermath, revealing 12 fatalities, predominantly women and children, with the youngest victim being approximately two years old. Several vehicles also suffered damage.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, the incident claimed the lives of 70 individuals on the road, which was congested as Palestinians followed Israeli directives to evacuate the northern part of Gaza.
The timing of the attack on the civilian convoy, approximately at 5:30 pm, is indicated by shadows and the sun’s position. Intriguingly, at 6:03 pm, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) identified the same road on social media as the safe route for approximately half of Gaza’s population to follow the Israeli evacuation directive, as they traveled south of the Gaza River, located just to the south of Gaza City.
The director of an orphanage in central Gaza, Mubarrat Al Rehma Hazem al-Enezi, said he could not move the children under his watch, if it were safe to do so. “We have 27 kids living here, nine of them are under 10. Normally we have 25 staff, but it is only me and one other care worker right now because of the situation,” he said when contacted by reporters on the phone.
“You have to understand, several of our children have physical disabilities and special needs, they are already scared and traumatised. There is no safe passage and no safe place for them anywhere in Gaza,” he said.
