“My son asked for his severed leg so he could bid it farewell”: Harrowing testimonies from the al-Mawasi massacre

"I was carrying an empty pot, heading towards the soup kitchen near my tent, to get food for my family. Suddenly, the sky changed color, daylight was replaced by darkness and dust. I blacked out for a few minutes, and each time I tried to get up, I saw feet running around me. When I finally stood up, it was as if I had forgotten how to walk."

Khalil Muqdad, 47, told Raseef22 about the first moment after the al-Mawasi massacre in Khan Yunis, committed by Israel on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in which over 90 Palestinians were killed and more than 300 injured in a single strike.

"I felt like I was living in a horror game created by AI," says Khalil, who previously fled from northern Gaza to the al-Mawasi area.

On the day of the massacre, after getting up, Khalil remembered that his son was with him, so he began to look around, before yelling out, “Where is my son?”

Soon, the magnitude of the massacre became clear; it is now considered the largest in terms of casualties and injuries in an area the Israeli army had deemed was a safe “humanitarian” zone and had ordered Gazans to evacuate there back in May.

"My son asked me to bring him his severed leg so he could bid it farewell. In the afternoon, I returned to inspect the bomb site, but I couldn't find his leg. Instead, I found people carrying the lifeless body of my niece.”

Immediately afterwards, statements were issued by the Israeli army, the Shin Bet and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming that the operation targeted Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military wing of Hamas.

Hamas, for its part, denied the news, with its deputy leader stating, "Deif is currently listening to Netanyahu's statements and mocking them."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eye On Palestine (@eye.on.palestine)

The first moments after the massacre

While the world focused on whether or not Mohammed Deif was killed, displaced civilians in al-Mawasi Khan Yunis collected the remains of their killed loved ones and carried their wounded to Nasser Hospital and the Kuwaiti Hospital, despite the hospitals’ lack of capacity amidst the collapse of the local healthcare system under the ongoing war and siege.

As the bombardment subsided, cries and wails filled the air. In Gaza, people don’t flee the sound of bombardment; instead, they rush towards it to rescue those trapped under the rubble.

Khalil shares, "I found my son bleeding on the side of the road. Perhaps he was flung from the pressure of the blast, or maybe someone pushed him aside to prevent him from being trampled."

He continues, "But his body was incomplete. He was covered in blood and bruises, and was missing his left leg. I wiped his face of the blood and dust, and made sure he was still alive."

"I wanted to hold his hand and run like we used to do. But I realized he couldn't do that, so I picked him up and a paramedic took him from me. I kept shouting, ‘That’s my son! He lost his leg, he lost his leg!'”

With sorrow, Khalil adds, "My son asked me to bring him his severed leg so he could bid it farewell. In the afternoon, I returned to inspect the bomb site, but I couldn't find his leg."

Khalil saw his niece’s lifeless body being carried away. He recognized her by the almost-hidden mole on her nose and the clothes on her body, which he had given her two weeks earlier.

"I feel like I am living inside a horror game created by artificial intelligence."

These are the remains of humans who were laughing only minutes ago

Amina Abu Raida, 31, fled northern Gaza to al-Mawasi. She spoke with Raseef22 about the massacre, "Suddenly, with no prior warning, I heard the whistling of a missile cutting through the air, and I felt the air pressure around me begin to give way, as if my heart had fallen out of its place."

"One missile, then another, and a third, successive strikes from the sea, people running, a state of panic in the area, so much terror, and no one knew what had happened," explains Amina.

She adds, “I went to look for my little brother, and found myself in a pool of blood, walking over severed limbs. These are the remains of people who were laughing with us just minutes ago, and have been living in a horrific state of displacement for ten months.”

Amina does not hide her overwhelming feeling of shock, and she admits not knowing if she will recover from the horrors she witnessed.

"One missile, then another, and a third, deadly strikes from the sea, people running, a state of panic in the area, so much terror, and no one knew what had happened. I went out to look for my little brother, and found myself in a pool of blood, walking over scattered limbs. These are the remains of humans who were laughing with us just minutes ago.”

A massacre with American weapons

Yahya Qaoud, a political analyst and researcher, explained to Raseef22, “The push by the Israeli occupation to displace the residents from the east Gaza to west Gaza has caused very high population density in specific areas, resulting in a large number of casualties under any bombing or attack, whether targeted or random.”

Although Israeli media sources revealed the type of bombs used in this massacre as precision bombs aimed at Mohammed Deif, their density caused massive destruction, burying the tents and their displaced inhabitants underground.

Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed that the Israeli warplanes dropped eight American-made JDAM bombs in the al-Mawasi massacre in Khan Yunis.These are advanced laser-guided bombs that rely on artificial intelligence and advanced sensor technology.

The publication pointed out that these bombs were the subject of a recent dispute between Washington and Tel Aviv about a shipment of weapons containing JDAM munitions. These bombs, first used in 1997, convert non-guided bombs, described as 'dumb,' into smart weapons.

In Gaza, people don’t flee the sound of bombardment; instead, they rush towards it to rescue those trapped under the rubble.

Will the massacre disrupt the negotiation process?

Israel committed this massacre following what was considered the best progress yet in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this month, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal through mediators, which Israeli officials welcomed.

Immediately after the massacre, two Egyptian security sources informed Reuters that the ceasefire negotiations halted after intensive talks lasting three days failed to reach a result. The sources blamed Israel for not having a genuine intention to reach an agreement.

According to a report by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority on July 14, negotiations between Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatar are still scheduled.

Israel committed this massacre following what was considered the best progress yet in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this month, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal through mediators, which Israeli officials welcomed.

Qaoud believes that Netanyahu's claims of continuing political and military pressure on Hamas to make concessions are misleading to the international and Israeli communities. Instead, Netanyahu is killing Palestinian civilians and destroying safe residential areas and population centers.

"The Israeli army could attack Hamas if it wanted to. But it uses the targeting of its leaders as an excuse to attack innocent Palestinians, as happened in the al-Mawasi and al-Maamadani massacres, and it does so with the blessing and silence of the world," he adds.

In a press conference, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he "blessed the al-Mawasi operation after consulting with the Shin Bet, and after learning that there were no Israeli hostages around the vicinity of the operation."

This "blessing" comes amidst an Israeli media blackout on the massacre, which was barely mentioned by Israeli media outlets, which focused instead on the narrative of targeting Mohammed Deif.

Despite the narrative promoted by Israeli media about Mohammed Deif, Hamas confirmed that Deif was not in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis at the time of the massacre.

Will this admission hold Israel accountable for the massacre of civilians in the eyes of the international community—especially since it has stated through its security officials that they were aware this operation would result in a large number of civilian casualties—or will this massacre go unnoticed like the ones before it?