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Source: Global Times

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Egypt Huang Peizhao Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Yi] On the 13th local time, Israel launched a large-scale air strike on the Mawasi area of ​​Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, killing at least 92 Palestinians and injuring about 300 people. As of the 14th, many people were still buried under the rubble. Hamas called Israel's "massacre" "outrageous" on the 13th. The United Nations and several Middle Eastern countries including Qatar and Turkey condemned the deadly attack and once again called for a ceasefire. A senior Hamas official told AFP on the 14th that Hamas had withdrawn from the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's "massacre" and its attitude in the negotiations.

On July 14, 2024, local time, the Mawasi refugee camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, was bombarded by Israel. A man walked past the wreckage of a car. (Visual China)

Reuters reported on the 14th that the Mawasi area is a "safe zone" unilaterally demarcated by Israel, where many Palestinians have taken refuge. Israeli military officials said that the target of the airstrike was a Hamas operation camp, killing Hamas military commander Mohammad Dave and Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade commander Salama. Local time on the 14th, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency issued a joint statement, saying that according to the latest intelligence, the Israeli army killed Salama in an airstrike on Khan Yunis on the 13th. The statement said that Salama was one of Dave's most important assistants. Salama joined Hamas in the early 1990s, served as a military commander for a long time, and planned attacks on Israel many times.

Dave leads the Qassam Brigades, an armed faction of Hamas. The Associated Press said on the 14th that Dave rarely appears in public, and his only photo is a ID photo released by Israel 30 years ago. Dave and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, are considered the main planners of the attack on Israel on October 7 last year. Dave has always been Israel's most wanted man and is believed to have escaped Israel's assassination attempts many times.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on the 13th that the leadership of Hamas will continue to be targeted for elimination, "We will eliminate the entire Hamas leadership in any way." Netanyahu also said that exerting greater military pressure on Hamas will increase the possibility of reaching a hostage agreement. Israeli Defense Minister Galant asked the military to be "ready for combat on all fronts" on the 14th.

A Hamas official told AFP on the 14th that Dave is in "good health" and working. On the evening of the 13th, Hamas senior member Khalil Haya denied that Dave died in an Israeli airstrike in an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera TV, and said that Netanyahu and the Israeli army's claim that they targeted Dave and others with airstrikes was false. Hamas senior member Zuhri told Reuters that the Israeli army's claim that the target of the attack was Dave was "nonsense" and was intended to "cover up the terrible massacre." The dead were all civilians, and the attack proved that Israel had no intention of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Arabia's Arab News reported on the 14th that Egyptian security sources revealed on the 13th that after three days of tense negotiations, ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip have stopped. The source said that the negotiations were futile because Israel proposed "new terms", which led to the breakdown of the negotiations. Negotiators believed that the Israeli side was "inconsistent, slow to respond, and proposed new terms that were contrary to the previous agreement", which showed that they only regarded the negotiations as "superficial".

Hamas officials confirmed to AFP on the 14th that Hamas has withdrawn from ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip. Hamas’ statement on the evening of the 13th said that Hamas Political Bureau leader Haniyeh said that in order to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza to stop Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people, Hamas has made a positive and responsible response to the draft agreement, but Netanyahu’s position is to set up obstacles to prevent the agreement from being reached, such as constantly proposing new conditions and claims that were not included in the original draft agreement, and the “heinous massacre” carried out by the Israeli army in many areas of the Gaza Strip on the 13th. Haniyeh called on Egypt, Qatar, the United States and other relevant mediators to take necessary actions to stop Israel’s “massacre” against the Palestinian people and strive to end Israel’s “continuous aggression.”

The United States' response to the massive Israeli attack on the 13th was mild. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said that day that Israel told U.S. officials that their attack targets senior Hamas officials and that the Biden administration is seeking to learn more about civilian casualties. The Pentagon said that U.S. Defense Secretary Austin held talks with Israeli Defense Minister Galant on the 13th to discuss Israel's actions in Gaza and stressed the need to minimize harm to civilians.

On the 13th, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell called for an independent investigation and condemned any possible violation of international law. He said on the social media platform, "The ends cannot justify the means." The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack in a statement on the 13th. The statement said, "These ongoing violations against Palestinian citizens have added great difficulties to the current efforts to achieve a ceasefire and peace." The statement also criticized the "shameful silence and lack of action by the international community." It was also reported that the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the "shocking and brutal massacre" in the Mawasi area was "a new chapter in a series of crimes" committed by Israel against the Palestinians. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the attack was "a new stage in the Netanyahu government's attempt to completely eliminate the Palestinians."