Gaza: Israeli airstrikes hit camp for displaced families in Deir al-Balah

Israeli airstrikes struck central Gaza early Thursday, hitting a camp for displaced families near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

The attack came after warning calls and a drone-fired missile.

While no casualties were reported, the strike destroyed roughly 100 tents sheltering people who had already fled fighting in other parts of the Strip.

Smoke rose from the targeted area, and fires spread quickly through the makeshift shelters.

Civil defense teams rushed to the site, working to extinguish the flames.

Families, many of them with children, were left sifting through the ashes of what little they had managed to bring with them during earlier evacuations.

Mohammad Kahlout, displaced from northern Gaza, voiced anger and despair at the repeated attacks on civilians.

“We came to the safe zone, which they call safe. (We were given) only five minutes to gather our belongings, and then they bombed the camp,” he said.

“We are civilians, not terrorists. What is our fault, and what is the fault of our children, to be displaced again? This is a camp for civilians, refugees -- there is no resistance or anyone."