Battle of Shuja'iyya (2023)

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Battle of Shuja'iyya
Part of the siege of Gaza City during the Israel–Hamas war
Date4–26 December 2023
(3 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Territorial
changes
Israeli withdrawal [1] [2]
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Flag of Hamas.svg  Hamas
Black flag.svg Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Red flag.svg Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Yitzhak Ben-Bashat  
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Tomer Greenberg   [3]
Flag of Hamas.svg Emad Abdullah Ali Qariqa   [4] [5]
Flag of Hamas.svg Wissam Farhat  
Units involved

Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces

Flag of Palestine.svg Palestinian Joint Operations Room

Casualties and losses
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 16 soldiers killed [6] [7]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 1 Namer destroyed
Per Israel: [6]
935+ fighters killed
3 Israeli civilians killed [8]

The Battle of Shuja'iyya was a military engagement of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War between the Israeli Defense Forces of Israel and Hamas. The latter's allies, namely the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also took part in the fighting. During the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Shuja'iyya was the last district in Gaza City that had not been subject to an Israeli ground invasion, and as a result many Palestinians who had not been able to evacuate south had sought refuge in the district. Despite this, the Israel Defense Forces had shelled and bombarded targets in Shuja'iyya for weeks before invading on December 4. On the 26th of December, Israel withdrew from Shuja'iyya, announcing that the local Hamas battalion had been defeated. Despite this, militants continued to attack Israeli forces within the town.

Contents

Background

Shuja'iyya is one of the largest and most densely populated neighborhoods in Gaza, holding 92,000 people. [9] As a result of Israeli forces invading south Gaza city, many Palestinians had sought refuge in the neighbourhood, causing rising concerns of civilian casualties if Israel were to expand its invasion into the neighbourhood. [10]

Battle

On December 4, Israel launched an invasion of Shuja'iyya, advancing from the southern Gaza city after subjecting it to a massive bombardment campaign leaving most of the district in ruins. [11]

Palestinian militant groups led by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades confronted Israeli forces on the 6th of December. The paramilitaries took advantage of the environment created by Israeli bombardment and relied on dense buildings to weave throughout the district instead of relying on tunnels, setting the stage for a major urban battle.

During early confrontations, the Qassam Brigades attacked vehicles penetrating into Shuja'iyya, armed with AK-47 and Al-Yassin 105 tandem charge rockets. The packed buildings and tight streets allowed the brigades to approach vehicles at very close distances and fire in rapid succession before hopping between buildings for cover. Infamously, after an Achzarit was destroyed and ignited, a militant stood in front of it and took a selfie. [12]

As Israeli forces pushed into the district, reconnaissance published footage of Qassam Brigades militants using buildings as hideouts, including crawling on the floors to avoid detection. [13]

Qassam Brigades utilised dense urban landscape, allowing them in some instances to approach tanks and fire at them from mere metres away, as well as pelting Israeli forces with grenades thrown out of windows.

On December 13, the Qassam Brigades lured four soldiers into a coordinated ambush, and then launched successive attacks on Israeli forces sent to rescue those wounded, including collapsing the rigged building on top of them. The IDF admitted that 10 soldiers had been killed in the ambush, including two high-ranking officers. [14]

By December 21, Israeli forces claimed they had “operational control” of Shuja'iyya. [15]

Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants of the Al-Quds Brigades set up sniper posts on high-rise structures, jumping between the windows of multi-story high buildings to navigate positions throughout the district. The Qassam Brigades located several Israeli soldiers positioned in buildings and outposts and harassed them, eroding morale and security. [16] [17]

On December 26, Israeli forces had retreated from Shuja'iyya, following an incomplete operation that allowed the Palestinian militants to retain control of the town and launch attacks on Israeli soldiers from the area. [18]

Aftermath

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor assumes that Palestinian civilians were killed in the battle due to the extent of destruction and no retrieval of bodies.[ citation needed ]

Additionally, three Israeli hostages were mistakenly killed by the Israeli Defense Forces while holding a white cloth. [19]

Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, much of the district lay under rubble and basic infrastructure had been destroyed by Israeli bombardment. [10]

Israeli forces invaded Shuja'iyya again in June 2024, leading to a second battle which also ended in an Israeli withdrawal. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2004.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qassam Brigades</span> Military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization

Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, is the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his presumed death on 13 July 2024, the Al-Qassam Brigades is the largest and best-equipped militia operating within the Gaza Strip in recent years.

Maryam Mohammad Yousif Farhat, or Mariam Farahat, more commonly known as Umm Nidal was a Palestinian activist popularly known by Palestinians as the "Mother of Martyrs" for her support for her sons' involvement in attacks against Israel. Three of her sons were members of Hamas who committed suicide bombings on Israeli civilians. She was a close associate of the Hamas leadership for over 2 decades. Farhat had strong militant credentials, including an appearance carrying a gun in a video in which she advised one of her sons, Mohammed, on tactics before he attacked a Jewish settlement. Mohammed, 17, killed five Israelis before he was shot dead in the assault in the occupied Gaza Strip in 2002. Farhat’s eldest son, Nidal, was killed in 2003 as he was preparing for another attack. A third son, Rawad, died earlier this year in an Israeli air strike on his car, which was carrying rockets. She also was a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Hamas. Farhat was one of the most prominent Islamist female leaders in Gaza and became an icon of the Second Intifada.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shuja'iyya</span> Neighborhood in Gaza, Gaza Governorate, Palestine

Shuja'iyya, also Shejaiya, Shijaiyeh, Shujayya, Shuja'ia, Shuja'iya, is the southern quarter of Old City of Gaza, and the only quarter of the Old City located outside the historical city walls. It is one of the largest neighborhoods in Gaza, once holding 92,000 to 100,000 residents. It is located east of Gaza's city center, and its nucleus is situated on a hill located across the main Salah al-Din Road that runs north–south throughout the Gaza Strip. Shuja'iyya contains several ancient structures, mosques and tombs. The Commonwealth War Cemetery is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the commercial center of the neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Shuja'iyya (2014)</span> Battle in the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict

The Battle of Shuja'iyya occurred between the Israel Defense Forces and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades on 20 July 2014 during 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip. Shuja'iyya, with 92,000 people in 6 sq-kilometres, is one of the most densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, it had become a "terrorist fortress", that between 8 and 20 July had fired over 140 rockets into Israel after the outbreak of hostilities. Casualty figures are not known with precision, partly because bodies were recovered long after the fighting, and people had also died of injuries afterwards. The UN Protection Cluster states that between the 19-20th, 55 civilians, including 19 children and 14 women, were killed as a result of the IDF's actions. At the time, estimates varied from 66 to about 120 Palestinians killed, with a third of them women and children, and at least 288 wounded. The UN figures of Palestinian casualties are preliminary and subject to revision. 16 Israeli soldiers were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip</span> Israeli military operation since 2023

The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is a major part of the Israel–Hamas war. Starting on 7 October 2023, immediately after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, it began bombing the Gaza Strip; on 13 October, Israel began ground operations in Gaza, and on 27 October, a full-scale invasion was launched. Israel's campaign has four stated goals: to destroy Hamas, to free the hostages, to ensure Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, and to return displaced residents of Northern Israel. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli operation began, including more than 7,800 children and 4,900 women, with another 10,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings. There are allegations that Israel has committed war crimes and genocide during the invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Beit Hanoun</span> 2023 military engagement in the Gaza Strip

The battle of Beit Hanoun began on 27 October 2023 in the midst of the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. On 18 December 2023, Israeli forces had prematurely signalled that they had full control over Beit Hanoun and had destroyed Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion. However, clashes continued in the town. Israeli forces withdrew from the town on the 24th of December. Subsequently, some Palestinian militants infiltrated back into the town and conducted attacks against Israeli forces to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Gaza City</span> Ongoing military engagement in Gaza City

The siege of Gaza City began on 2 November 2023, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded Gaza City, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was a counterattack to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Gaza City is the most populated city in the Gaza Strip and the battle started on 30 October 2023, when Israel and Hamas clashed in Gaza City. According to Oxfam, there are about 500,000 Palestinians, along with 200 Israelis and other captives, were trapped in a "siege within a siege" in northern Gaza.

Ahmed Abu Ghandour, also known as Abu Anas al-Ghandour, was a Palestinian senior militant in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. As commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade, he was a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades' General Military Council and was considered to be a close confidant of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. In 2017, Ghandour was designated by the United States as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. In November 2023, he was killed by an Israeli airstrike amid the Israel–Hamas war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Khan Yunis</span> 2023 military engagement in the Gaza Strip

The battle of Khan Yunis, which evolved into the siege of Khan Yunis in late January 2024, began on 1 December 2023 in the midst of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Wissam Abu Hussein Farhat was a Head of Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion. He was the mastermind behind various attacks such as the Atzmona Massacre, the Nahal Oz attack and more.

On 13 December 2023, during the wider Israeli invasion of Gaza, Hamas forces carried out an ambush at Shuja'iyya. The ambush resulted in the deaths of 10 Israeli soldiers. One of the dead soldiers was Colonel Yitzhak Ben-Bashat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in the North Gaza Strip</span> 2024 armed conflict in Palestine

The insurgency in the North Gaza Strip is an armed conflict centered in the North Gaza Governorate, around the besieged Gaza City after Israel announced it had dismantled 12 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades battalions on 7 January.

The Second Battle of Shuja'iyya was a military battle between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian forces during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which ended in an Israeli withdrawal. Fought from 27 June 2024 to 10 July 2024, it was the second engagement between the two sides in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zana ambush</span> Ambush of Israeli soldiers and vehicles during the Siege of Khan Yunis

The Zana ambush, referred to as the Ambush of the Righteous by Hamas, was an ambush carried out on 6 April 2024 by the Qassam Brigades against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel and vehicles in the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, four Israeli soldiers were killed as well as a number of Qassam Brigades fighters from a second cell after the initial group of militants retreated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mujahideen Brigades</span> Palestinian militant organization

Mujahideen Brigades are the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement. The brigades operate in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Palestine.

References

  1. "نباشر".
  2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-targeting-hamas-in-central-gaza-battling-terror-groups-al-bureij-battalion/
  3. "Gaza: Israeli commanders among nine soldiers killed in Hamas ambush". The Guardian .
  4. Brian Carter (8 December 2023). "The Order of Battle of Hamas' Izz al Din al Qassem Brigades, Part 1: North and Central Gaza". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  5. The Order of Battle of Hamas’ Izz al Din al Qassem Brigades (Updated)
  6. 1 2 אוגדה 36 נכנסה לאל-בורייג' במרכז הרצועה; כ-900 מחבלים חוסלו בשג'אעיה | תמונת מצב
  7. "Ambush, Loss of Contact, Abduction Scare | Behind the Battle That Claimed Nine Israeli Soldiers in Northern Gaza Strip". Haaretz.
  8. Bachega, Hugo (2023-12-16). "Israel Gaza: Hostages were carrying white cloth when shot, IDF says". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  9. Report of the detailed findings of the Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict, ohchr.org (United Nations A/HRC/29/CRP.4), 22 June 2015, pp. 70-79 paragraphs 251-299.
  10. 1 2 Mushtaha, Mahmoud (16 March 2024). "'We scream, starve, and die alone': Life in the ruins of Shuja'iya". +972 Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  11. "Gaza witnesses bloodiest day yet of Israeli massacres". ReliefWeb. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  12. "شاهد.. القسام تدمر عددا من آليات الاحتلال في الشجاعية شمالي غزة" [Watch... Al-Qassam destroys a number of occupation vehicles in Shujaiya, north of Gaza]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  13. "IDF plans to neutralise Hamas from Shuja'iyya, Gaza: Here's how". The Economic Times. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  14. "IDF announces death of 10 soldiers, raising toll of Gaza ground op to 115". i24NEWS. 13 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  15. Lappin, Yaakov (21 December 2023). "IDF declares operational control of Hamas stronghold Shuja'iyya". Jewish National Syndicate. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  16. "سرايا القدس تنشر مقطع فيديو لقنص جنود إسرائيليين شرق الشجاعية" [Al-Quds Brigades publishes a video clip of Israeli soldiers sniping east of Shuja'iyya]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 23 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  17. "مشاهد حصرية لتدمير القسام آليات إسرائيلية واستهداف جنود غولاني بالشجاعية" [Exclusive scenes of Al-Qassam destroying Israeli vehicles and targeting Golani soldiers in Shuja'iyya]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  18. ""مربعات سكنية مدمرة بالكامل".. صور ترصد حجم الخراب في حي الشجاعية بعد انسحاب القوات الإسرائيلية (فيديو)" [“Completely destroyed residential blocks...” Pictures show the extent of the devastation in the Shujaiya neighborhood after the withdrawal of Israeli forces (video)]. Al Jazeera Mubasher (in Arabic). 26 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  19. Bachega, Hugo (2023-12-16). "Israel Gaza: Hostages were carrying white cloth when shot, IDF says". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  20. FABIAN, EMANUEL (2024-07-10). "IDF wraps up raid in Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood, says it killed more than 150 gunmen". The Times of Israel.