April 2025 Shuja'iyya massacre

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April 2025 Shuja'iyya massacre
Part of the 2025 Shuja'iyya offensive during the Gaza war and Gaza genocide
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Shuja'iyya
Location Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Date9 April 2025
Attack type
 Airstrikes, massacre, war crime
Deaths35+ Palestinians
Injured70+ Palestinians
PerpetratorFlag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces

On 9 April 2025, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on a four-story residential building near al-Hawashi mosque in Shuja'iyya, eastern Gaza City. Israeli warplanes targeted a densely-populated area that was overcrowded with refugee tents and displaced people, destroying 8 homes. The strike killed at least 35 Palestinians, including 8 women and children, injured more than 70 people, and left over 20 missing. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Background

On 18 March 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively ending the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire and resuming the Gaza war. On the first day, Israel's attacks killed at least 404 Palestinians, including 263 women and children, making it one of the deadliest in the Gaza war. [5] [6] Amid the renewed offensive, on 23 March, Israel fired on five ambulances and a fire truck "one-by-one" [7] [8] and killed 15 Palestinian paramedics, [9] an action widely condemned by the international community. It was not until 30 March that the bodies of the missing paramedics were found in a mass grave. [10] Israel subsequently ordered mass evacuations in Shuja'iyya, citing the need to destroy "terrorist infrastructure," displacing thousands of residents of Shuja'iyya before initiating a renewed offensive. [1]

Attack

On 9 April 2025, Israeli warplanes targeted a four-story residential building in an overcrowded area filled with refugees in Shuja'iyya with "multiple missiles," causing shrapnel to fly "in all directions." The strike destroyed eight homes in Shuja'iyya. [3] Over 35 Palestinians were killed and at least another 70 were injured. Another 20 remained missing. [11] Israel claimed to have struck a "senior Hamas terrorist" without providing evidence and initially without giving their name. The next day, the IDF named the Hamas commander killed as Haitham Razek abd al-Karim Sheikh Khalil. [12] Footage showed dust-covered bodies of children being carried away from the rubble by rescue workers. [1] Some victims were "torn to pieces" while "dust and massive destruction filled the entire place." [2]

Reactions

Hamas condemned the strike as a "bloody massacre" and one of the "most heinous acts of genocide." [13]

Aftermath and investigation

The Israeli military issued report stating that "professional failures" led to the killing of the 15 workers in Gaza, and that the commander on the ground perceived an immediate and tangible threat after vehicles approached rapidly, blaming "poor night visibility". The deputy commander of the unit involved was dismissed. The IDF said its investigation found six of the casualties were Hamas members, and rejected that there had been summary executions. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Israeli strike on Gaza residential building kills 29, medics say". BBC News. 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  2. 1 2 "At least 35 killed in Israeli attack on Gaza residential block". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  3. 1 2 Yee, Vivian; Harouda, Ameera; Alghorra, Saher (2025-04-09). "Israeli Airstrike in Gaza City Leaves Many Dead, Health Officials There Say". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  4. ↑ McKernan, Bethan (2025-04-09). "Gaza City strike kills at least 23 as Israel reportedly plans to seize Rafah". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  5. ↑ "Israel breaks ceasefire with surprise airstrike, killing more than 400 Palestinians". AP News. 18 March 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  6. ↑ "Live updates: More than 400 Palestinians killed in surprise Israeli airstrikes across Gaza". AP News. 18 March 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  7. ↑ El Damanhoury, Kareem; Dahman, Ibrahim; Tanno, Sophie (2025-03-31). "Bodies of missing aid workers found in Gaza 'mass grave' following Israeli attacks". CNN. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  8. ↑ Salhani, Justin (2025-04-01). "Rescue workers Israel killed found in mass grave in Gaza: What to know". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  9. ↑ "Palestinian aid workers likely shot 'execution style', forensic expert says". Al Jazeera. 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
  10. ↑ "Gaza: Red Cross outraged over killing of medics by Israeli forces". BBC News. 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  11. ↑ Yee, Vivian; Harouda, Ameera; Alghorra, Saher (2025-04-09). "Israeli Airstrike in Gaza City Leaves Many Dead, Health Officials There Say". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  12. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (10 April 2025). "Head of Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion, who led Nahal Oz attack, killed in airstrike, says IDF". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  13. ↑ "Israeli strike on Gaza residential block kills at least 23, rescuers say". France 24. 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  14. ↑ "'Professional failures' led to killing of Gaza medics, IDF inquiry says". BBC.
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