According to the health ministry managed by Hamas in Gaza, 141 Palestinians have died in Israeli air attacks since Saturday.
The health ministry’s statement reports that around 400 individuals have sustained injuries.
An air strike unexpectedly struck a designated humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attack was aimed at senior Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, but it is uncertain whether he had been successfully targeted and killed.
A witness in al-Mawasi told the BBC that the scene resembled a seismic event.
Footage in the vicinity displays burning debris and injured victims being placed on stretchers.
BBC Verify has reviewed videos of the devastation following the attack and have confirmed that it occurred in a location designated as a humanitarian zone on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website.
The civil defence agency in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, reported that a total of 17 individuals lost their lives during a second attack by Israel on Saturday.
The assault reportedly focused on a prayer room in the Shati refugee camp located to the west of Gaza City. There has been no response from the Israeli military regarding the allegation.
A Hamas representative, as reported by Reuters, described the attacks as a serious increase in aggression, indicating that Israel was not inclined towards making a peace agreement.
The BBC has learned that the ceasefire talks in Qatar and Egypt concluded on Friday without achieving success.
During a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Netanyahu stated that he authorized the al-Mawasi operation to proceed after receiving information from his security forces.
He mentioned that he desired information on the absence of hostages in the vicinity, the extent of the collateral damage, and the types of weapons that would be employed.
He stated that he could not confirm the deaths of the two Hamas leaders before vowing to eliminate all high-ranking members of the group.
In any case, Mr Netanyahu stated that they will reach all of the leaders of Hamas.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, as reported by the AFP news agency, later accused Mr. Netanyahu of attempting to prevent a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict through “horrific massacres.”
Hamas denied the accusation that their leaders were being targeted.
The organization stated that Israel has made similar claims about targeting Palestinian leaders in the past, which were later found to be untrue.
According to an Israeli military official, the attack occurred in a location without any civilians present.
He did not confirm if it was located within a designated safe zone, but mentioned that Hamas leaders had strategically placed themselves in a civilian area.
The official claimed to have no knowledge of any hostages being present in the vicinity during the attack on Israel on October 7th.
Before the precise attack, he stated that they collected “reliable information.”
During an interview with Newshour on the BBC World Service, Dr. Mohammed Abu Rayya, who is currently at a hospital treating the victims of the attack, stated that most of the injured individuals have been affected by several pieces of shrapnel.
He described the situation as being similar to hell and mentioned that a large number of those injured or killed were civilians, specifically women and children.
Images from the nearby Kuwait field hospital displayed scenes of disorder as patients received medical care while lying on the ground.
According to Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis is facing an extreme strain and is no longer able to operate effectively.
Who is Mohammed Deif?
Mohammed Deif, the leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, which is the military wing of Hamas, is a high-priority target for Israel.
He is considered a legendary figure in Gaza for evading capture and surviving multiple assassination attempts, including one in 2002 that caused him to lose an eye.
After being detained by Israeli authorities in 1989, he went on to establish the Brigades with the goal of seizing Israeli soldiers.
Israel has accused him of orchestrating and overseeing bus bombings in 1996 that resulted in the deaths of numerous Israelis, as well as being involved in the abduction and murder of three Israeli soldiers in the mid-1990s.
He is believed to have been one of the main organizers of the Hamas attack on 7 October, in which approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 others were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
The result was the significant Israeli military campaign in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 38,400 Palestinians as reported by the health ministry controlled by Hamas.
