UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the deadly Israeli airstrike in an area designated as a safe zone in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of today, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

“The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas is unacceptable,” Dujarric stressed. “Palestinians had moved to this area of ​​Khan Younis in search of a refuge, in search of safety, after being repeatedly instructed to do so by the Israeli authorities themselves.”

And UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Venesland condemned what he said was a deadly Israeli strike on Han Younis in Gaza, which local medical authorities said left dozens dead and wounded.

The Hamas health ministry for Gaza announced that 19 were killed and more than 60 wounded in the overnight Israeli strike in al-Mawashi, Khan Yunis.