Eyewitness describes horror of Israeli raid on 'safe' area sheltering displaced people

Thousands of displaced Palestinians lived through a night of fear and panic after Israeli ground forces late on Tuesday raided Khan Younis' al-Mawasi, an area previously designated as "safe" by the army. 

Amani Shnino, a mother of three children taking refuge in the area, told Middle East Eye she was getting her children ready for bed when they were shocked by the sound of a quadcopter drone broadcasting a message through loudspeakers: "We are the Special Israeli Forces. Do not leave your homes."

The sudden eruption of intense clashes, accompanied by bombing and the roaring sounds of tanks and warplanes, sent panic among the displaced residents.

“My three children and I were scared to death. They should have slept at 8 pm. We tried to calm them but we couldn’t, as we were also in panic and had no clue of what was going on,” she said.

Shnino's family, along with many others in the area, gathered their belongings in fear of being forced to flee.

"We expected the worst," she said. "We thought they were coming to arrest or even execute people. It was highly likely."

The clashes continued for about three hours before subsiding. Residents remained indoors even after it had stooped.

“No one dared to leave home to check out what had happened,” Shnino said.

Reporting by Ahmed Alsammak