The chairman of Al-Khair Foundation, Qasim Rashid Ahmad, has released a statement addressing an Israeli attack that killed nine people in Gaza’s Beit Lahia.

Qasim said they were in a “humanitarian area where things were being prepared to accommodate and provide shelter to those who have lost their homes”.

At least nine people, including three journalists, were killed and several more wounded in the attack, which targeted a relief team accompanied by journalists and photographers, according to Palestinian media.

The Israeli military claimed it struck “two terrorists… operating a drone that posed a threat”. It added: “Later, a number of additional terrorists collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle. The [military] struck the terrorists.”

Hamas called the attack a “horrific massacre” and “a dangerous escalation that reflects [Israel’s] insistence on continuing its aggression and disregard for all international laws and conventions”.