The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged to BBC Verify a previously undisclosed airstrike in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, resulting in at least one Palestinian fatality and 30 injuries.
This strike occurred on Sunday, hours after 31 Palestinians died near a new aid distribution center in Rafah, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence. BBC Verify, while investigating footage from the Rafah incident, identified a separate strike in nearby Khan Younis.
The IDF, which typically releases operational updates, had not initially reported this Khan Younis strike. Only after being contacted by BBC Verify did the IDF admit to an artillery strike, attributing it to “technical and operational errors.”
The IDF stated that artillery fire, intended for a specific target, deviated and mistakenly hit the Mawasi area, a coastal strip of Khan Younis. No evidence was provided to support this claim.
Such IDF admissions of error are rare. A BBC Verify analysis of the IDF’s official Telegram account revealed only four prior instances acknowledging “mistakes,” “technical,” or “operational” errors related to the Gaza conflict since October 2023.
Footage of the Khan Younis blast, emerging late Sunday, depicted injured individuals amidst dust clouds in a tented Palestinian settlement. Distressed women and children are seen in the footage.
The strike impacted a shelter for displaced Palestinians; the UN estimates that 90% of Gaza’s 2.1 million population has been displaced.
Ambulances transported the injured. BBC Verify confirmed the presence of several injured individuals in both the scene footage and subsequent hospital images.
The Kuwaiti Field Hospital reported one fatality and 30 injuries from the strike. Initially, the footage was misattributed to the Rafah aid distribution center incident.
However, BBC Verify geolocated the footage to Khan Younis—4.5km (2.8 miles) from the distribution center.
The Hamas-run Civil Defence reported that “Israeli gunfire” had killed 31 Palestinians near the aid center. While the IDF initially denied firing on Palestinians there, a military source later told BBC Verify that warning shots were fired.
Solar positioning confirmed the footage was recorded in the evening, shortly before sunset. A local journalist who filmed the event also confirmed the incident occurred around 7 PM local time on Sunday.
The IDF statement didn’t specify the Khan Younis casualty count, only stating that “the incident is under review.”
The footage became central to a dispute between the BBC and the White House. On Monday, BBC Verify debunked claims linking the footage to the Rafah killings.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt then inaccurately claimed the BBC retracted its Rafah coverage.
The BBC responded that her comments were “misleading”, stating she conflated the two incidents. The BBC affirmed, “We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism.”
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following Hamas’ cross-border attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports at least 54,607 deaths in Gaza since then, including 4,335 since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18th.
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