Israel directed Palestinians to a safe zone, promising access to water and food for a population left starving and thirsty by its military assault.
The same day, bloodied children lay next to water jugs near a fountain. Others sprawled out on stretchers at a nearby hospital, their families wailing.
Palestinian health authorities said at least 13 people were killed, including seven children, in an Israeli strike Tuesday as they tried to collect drinking water in Al-Mawasi — the part of the Gaza Strip the Israeli military told Palestinians to head to.
Video shared with NBC News showed two young girls lying side by side on a steel stretcher at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as their loved ones wailed and wrapped their arms around them, touching their faces one last time following the incident.
Nearby, four young boys lay lifeless on the floor, their faces spattered with blood as a pool of crimson red formed around one of their heads. Screams rang out around them as more children were rushed into the hospital, some crying out and covered in blood.
The Israeli military initially told NBC News on Tuesday that it had no record of strikes in the area of Al-Mawasi that day. Asked for an update Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said it was looking into the matter.
Hours later, it said a strike targeting a “key” Hamas member had been conducted in western Khan Younis, but did not provide further details. It said it was aware of reports of casualties as a result of the strike, adding that the incident was under review.
Al-Mawasi, just west of Khan Younis, is sometime referred to as being in western Khan Younis, including by Israeli media. Asked for the coordinates of the strike and for clarity on whether it occurred in Al-Mawasi, the IDF declined to expand.
In separate video captured by a witness and shared with NBC News, several people, including children, lie bloodied by water jugs near a fountain as others race to help them. At least one of the victims seen dead in the video can also be seen being taken to Nasser Hospital in subsequent video verified by NBC News.
Children had been “running for the most basic right — water — only to be killed in cold blood,” said Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. He said Tuesday's strike unfolded in the Attar area of Al-Mawasi.
He initially said five children were killed, but Dr. Mohammad Saqr, director of nursing at Nasser Hospital, told NBC News on Wednesday that 13 people were killed, including seven children.
The deadly attack in an area considered a humanitarian zone unfolded as Israel began to mobilize tens of thousands of reservists to launch an expanded assault on Gaza City, forcing thousands of people to flee south.
The incident unfolded within hours of a statement from the Israeli military's Arabic language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, telling Palestinians in Gaza that "enhanced services" were being provided in Al-Mawasi, "with an emphasis on access to medical care, water and food."
He said the Israeli military was issuing the reminder ahead of its looming assault on Gaza City in the enclave's north. Israel has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold.
Satellite imagery has shown an increase in the build-up of tents in the Al-Mawasi area in recent months, with more tents appearing to crop up in recent days.
Hamas condemned Tuesday's deadly incident in a statement as it called for international intervention.
Israel, a U.S. ally, has faced growing international outrage over its assault in Gaza, where a dire hunger crisis continues under its offensive and crippling aid restrictions.
The world's leading body on hunger declared famine in the enclave for the first time last month. Israeli had denied reports of growing starvation in Gaza.
United Nations experts have also accused Israel of using "thirst as a weapon" and deliberately withholding access to safe drinking water.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday that at least six people had died as a result of malnutrition within the span of 24 hours, including a child, bringing the total number of deaths from starvation to 367, including 131 children.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks in 2023, when 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
Since then, Palestinian health officials say, more than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, while much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble.
A leading genocide scholars' association passed a resolution this week saying the legal criteria had been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has denied allegations of genocide, including in an ongoing case at the U.N.’s top court.
