Has Gaza's 'safe zone' fallen apart?

At least 12 people have been killed and 15 more were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the al-Mawasi "safe zone" in southern Gaza. The victims included women and children, as well as its intended targets, Hamas police chief Mahmoud Salah and his deputy, Hassam Shahwan.

Despite being declared a protected area by the Israeli military, al-Mawasi has been struck several times by missiles. In addition, the UN claims Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on food and other aid deliveries to Gaza. Cold conditions have also added to the growing humanitarian crisis, with at least six babies dying from hypothermia in the last week, according to the BBC.

What did the commentators say?

"After 14 months of war and destruction of infrastructure, most of the people in Gaza are living in tents that barely isolate the cold wind and rain," said Pascale Coissard, an emergency co-ordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières. Conditions in al-Mawasi have become "unbearable", the medical aid agency said, with old tents that offer no protection from the winter weather and their inhabitants unable to afford firewood or blankets.

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The UN has said there are no "safe enclaves" in Gaza any more and that "frequent" evacuation orders from Israeli forces have worsened the humanitarian crisis, said The Independent. Palestinians were instructed to move into the "safe zone" to avoid Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacks during its military operation against Hamas. Hundreds of thousands of civilians now live within the 10-mile strip of land, which was supposed to offer shelter, as well as humanitarian aid.

Safety is an "illusion" in Gaza, where displaced families have been killed "everywhere they might seek refuge", said Dr Ghada Ageel on Middle East Eye. To call al-Mawasi a safe zone "is not only misleading, but a tragic irony, as it has become a graveyard for countless civilians".

The deadly air strike was one of several launched by the IDF across the Gaza Strip over the New Year. At least four Palestinians are said to have died at the al-Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City, with another 10 civilians killed in an attack on the northern Jabalia camp. Gaza's civil defence spokesperson accused Israeli forces of "carrying out cleansing and extermination operations throughout the Gaza Strip", said Al Jazeera.

The IDF said it had taken steps to protect civilians ahead of the strike on al-Mawasi, "including using precise munitions, aerial observations and other intelligence gathering", said The Times of Israel.

The Israeli air strike on al-Mawasi also killed Hussam Shahwan, Hamas' deputy police chief. The Israeli military claimed Shahwan was the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in southern Gaza and had been hiding among the civilian population.

What next?

There are fears the humanitarian crisis could worsen over winter. After a "tense relationship" that has lasted "for decades", Israel is moving to ban the UN's Relief and Works Agency from Gaza, said The New York Times. UNRWA is a "critical lifeline" for Palestinians and its "crucial" work could "grind to a halt" if the proposed ban goes ahead.

“It would be a massive impact on an already catastrophic situation,” said Jamie McGoldrick, who until April was head of the UN aid effort in Gaza and the West Bank.