July 2024 al-Shati refugee camp attack
 | This article documents a civilian attack. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2024) |
| July 2024 al-Shati refugee camp attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israel–Hamas war and the Siege of Gaza City | |
  Al-Shati camp Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | al-Shati refugee camp, Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Date | 13 July 2024 |
Attack type | Shelling |
| Deaths | 20+ Palestinians |
| Injured | 10+ Palestinians |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
The July 2024 al-Shati refugee camp attack refers to targeted shelling operations conducted by the Israel Defense Forces on the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City that took place on 13 July 2024. The bombings hit a group of Palestinians who were praying at the ruins of a mosque in the camp, killing at least 20.[1]
Background[edit]
The al-Shati camp was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled by Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[2][3] As of 2023, it was one of the most densely populated places in the world with a population of over 90,000 refugees in an area of only 0.52 km2[2]
Israel Defense Forces conducted two separate airstrikes on the refugee camp at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 9 and 12 October, destroying four mosques and killing at least 15 civilians.[4] Al-Shati camp was again targeted by Israeli forces on 22 June 2024, where dual airstrikes on the camp and Tuffah district killed at least 43 people.[5]
Attack[edit]
On 13 July 2024, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported that at least 20 people were killed by military shelling conducted on the al-Shati refugee camp, leaving several more victims in critical condition. The agency reported that many of the victims were gathered in a prayer room for noon prayer at the site of a destroyed mosque at the time of the attack. Eyewitnesses reported that the camp residents only gathered for noon prayer at the mosque, and not for evening Maghrib and Isha prayers in order to avoid being potentially targeted then.[1][6]
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that they had recovered six bodies and three critically injured civilians shortly following the attack. At least ten deceased and twenty injured victims were taken to the nearby al-Ahli Arab Hospital.[1]
Reactions[edit]
Hamas called the attacks acts of "escalating Zionist terrorism and crimes against humanity" and rallied Gazans to continue their resistance in holding onto their land.[1]
The Iraqi government condemned the attacks in conjunction with attacks on al-Mawasi camp that also occurred on 13 July 2024, calling the attacks and Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's and his government's role in them acts attempts to "undermine all concepts of international law" while ignoring "every humanitarian voice", that would further destabilize the Middle East and spread conflict outside the region. He repeated earlier calls to the international community to hold Israel accountable for its "blatant aggression by an entity that considers itself above international law and justice" as a "dangerous precedent in human history", and to support Palestinian human rights.[7]
See also[edit]
- 2024 targeted assassination of Muhammad Deif
- 13 July 2024 Al-Mawasi airstrikes
- 9 July 2024 Gaza attacks
- June 2024 northern Gaza City airstrikes
- Al-Shati refugee camp airstrikes
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Gadzo, Mersiha. "Israeli air raids targeting two Hamas commanders kill 90 Palestinians". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ a b "Gaza Strip beach camp". UNRWA. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Badil Archived 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Israeli attack on Gaza refugee camp kills dozens of Palestinians=15 October 2023". Euromedia. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Osborne, Samuel (22 June 2024). "'At least 42 killed' in Gaza strikes, as Israeli man shot dead in West Bank". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ "10 Palestinians killed, 20 injured in Israeli attack on mosque in central Gaza". Anadolu Ajansı. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ "Iraq condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza, urges international action". Shafaq News. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
