On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant ordered the army to "continue operations directed against the leaders of the Hamas movement, and to increase operational preparedness in all combat sectors."

This came hours after the massacre committed by the Israeli army in the Al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, claiming to target “two prominent Hamas targets” without naming them, which was denied by the Palestinian movement.

The official Hebrew Broadcasting Authority said that Gallant held an assessment session on the security situation after the operation launched by the army in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis. He gave his orders to "continue operations directed against Hamas leaders, and to increase operational preparedness in all combat sectors."

Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and other senior officials in the security apparatus participated in the session, according to the commission.

An air strike on the tents of displaced Palestinians in the Al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Yunis, on Saturday, led to the death of 71 Palestinians and the injury of 289 others, including children and women, according to preliminary statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation army claimed that the area it bombed “had two prominent Hamas targets present,” without naming them.

This came in a statement by the army published on its account on the “X” platform, after Hebrew reports said that Muhammad al-Deif, Commander-in-Chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, and Rafi Salama, the commander of the Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade, were the targets of the attack.

But Hamas denied the validity of the Israeli allegations, and said in a statement: “This is not the first time that the occupation has claimed to target Palestinian leaders, and it was later proven false, and that these false allegations are merely to cover up the extent of the horrific massacre.”

The movement indicated that the area targeted by the Israeli bombing includes "more than 80,000 displaced people."

She pointed out that Israel "is committing the most heinous crimes against civilians in tents and displacement centers, ignoring calls to stop targeting them and not paying attention to any of the laws of war."

Over the past months, the Israeli army has called on residents of different areas of the Gaza Strip to go to the “Al-Mawasi” area, claiming that it is “humanitarian and safe.”

Al-Mawasi is a largely open area, not residential, and extends along the coastal strip of the Mediterranean Sea, at a distance of 12 km and at a depth of one km, from Deir al-Balah in the north, through Khan Yunis Governorate and all the way to Rafah in the south.