June 2024 Al-Mawasi refugee camp attack

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June 2024 Al-Mawasi refugee camp attack
Part of the Rafah offensive of the Israel–Hamas war
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Al-Mawasi
Location Al-Mawasi, Rafah, Gaza Strip
DateJune 21, 2024
Target Al-Mawasi refugee camp
Attack type
 Airstrike, shelling
Deaths25+ civilians killed
Injured50+ civilians injured
PerpetratorFlag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces [1]

On June 21, 2024, Israeli forces attacked refugee tent camps in al-Mawasi, Gaza Strip just outside an area designated as a humanitarian safe zone. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 25 people were killed and 50 others were injured in the two rounds of bombing. [2] The bombing was the second Israeli bombardment of the al-Mawasi refugee camp in under a month, with an attack on May 28 killing over 21 people and injuring 64 more. [3]

Contents

Prelude

During the Israel–Hamas war, many civilians in Gaza were ordered to evacuate to humanitarian safe zones, depopulating many areas of the strip. Many refugees fled to Rafah, with over 1.4 million civilians sheltering in the city and outlying tent camps. [4] Israel invaded Rafah on May 6 despite orders from the ICJ to cease the offensive, and a further 950,000 civilians fled to western Rafah, including the al-Mawasi refugee camp. [5] Al-Mawasi is one of the humanitarian safe zones civilians were ordered to evacuate to. [6] On May 28, Israeli forces bombed Al-Mawasi refugee camp, killing 21 people and injuring 64 more. [7] The May 28 attack sparked international condemnation, and Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed it a "tragic error." [8] Dozens of people were killed on June 13 at al-Mawasi in renewed strikes, but these were denied by the IDF. [9]

Attack

The first attack on al-Mawasi began shortly after midnight on June 21. A survivor of the attack stated that her family was awoken by Israeli aircraft, and flames erupted around her camp. [6] Another witness stated that the strikes had been fired from two Israeli tanks that climbed a hilltop overlooking the camp. [10] [1] The shelling landed in an area of the camp near the Palestinian International Committee of the Red Cross, damaging the structure of the building. Hundreds of civilians and ICRC staff were located near the office at the time of the bombings. [11] Witnesses reported that Israeli forces fired a second round of projectiles on the camp as civilians were leaving their tents. [12] A Palestinian Civil Defence worker stated that two locations in al-Mawasi camp were hit by the Israeli bombardment, with the second one being closer to the entrance of the ICRC. [10] These locations were assessed by the Associated Press to be just outside of the safe zone in al-Mawasi. [10]

Aftermath and death toll

The ICRC reported that the hospital in al-Mawasi underwent a "mass casualty influx" due to the bombings, and that they had received 22 bodies and 45 injured people, along with reports of additional casualties. [11] [10] The ICRC, in its statement, did not say who was responsible. [2] Palestinian Civil Defense reported a death toll of 18 and 35 injured. [2] The Gaza Health Ministry announced a death toll of at least 25 killed and 50 injured, and accused the Israel Defense Forces of the bombings. [2]

Israeli officials stated that the attack was "under review", and said that "there was no indication the strike was carried out by the IDF." [12]

Related Research Articles

Al-Mawasi is a Palestinian Bedouin town on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, approximately one kilometer wide and fourteen kilometers long, that prior to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005 existed as a Palestinian enclave within the Katif bloc of Israeli settlements. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Mawasi had a population of 1,409 in mid-year 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuseirat refugee camp</span> Refugee camp in Deir al-Balah, State of Palestine

Nuseirat is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, five kilometers north-east of Deir al-Balah. The refugee camp is in the Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the refugee camp had a population of 31,747 and the surrounding Nuseirat municipality had a population of 54,851 in 2017. The camp was established after the 1948 Palestinian expulsion during the 1948 Palestine war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Israeli shelling of UNRWA Gaza shelters</span>

The 2014 Israeli shelling of UNRWA Gaza shelters were seven shellings at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip which took place between 21 July and 3 August 2014 during the Israeli-Gaza conflict. The incidents were the result of artillery, mortar or aerial missile fire which struck on or near the UNRWA facilities being used as shelters for Palestinians, and as a result at least 44 civilians, including 10 UN staff, died. During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, many Palestinians fled their homes after warnings by Israel or due to air strikes or fighting in the area. An estimated 290,000 people took shelter in UNRWA schools.

The year 2023 in Israel was defined first by wide-scale protests against a proposed judicial reform, and then by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which led to a war and to Israel invading the Gaza Strip.

Events in 2023 in the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaza Strip evacuations</span> State-ordered displacement

During the Israel–Hamas war, the Israeli military ordered most residents of Gaza to evacuate their homes, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and contributing to a broader humanitarian crisis in the territory. It is the largest displacement of Palestinians in 75 years. Palestinians have described the evacuation as the "second Nakba."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war</span> Airstrikes in the Gaza Strip and West Bank

In the Israel–Hamas war, as part of the bombing and invasion of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes in densely populated Palestinian refugee camps in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Events of the year 2024 in Israel.

Events in 2024 in the Palestinian territories.

The following is a list of events during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafah offensive</span> Ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip

On 6 May 2024, Israel began a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah as part of its invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombing of the Gaza Strip</span> Air raids by the Israeli Air Forces in the Israel–Hamas war

The bombing of the Gaza Strip is an ongoing aerial bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Air Force during the Israel–Hamas war. During the bombing, Israeli airstrikes damaged Palestinian refugee camps, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and other civilian infrastructure. by late April 2024 it was estimated that Israel had dropped over 70,000 tons of bombs over Gaza, surpassing the bombing of Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Background of the Rafah offensive</span>

Before the Rafah offensive, Israel conducted airstrikes and threatened to invade the city as part of its invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war which began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Intentions to invade were declared in February, meeting backlash from the international community because of the estimated 1.4 million refugees sheltering in the city.

On 26 May 2024, the Israeli Air Force struck Tel al-Sultan, Rafah, setting fire to a displacement camp. The incident killed between 45 and 50 Palestinians, including women and children, and injured over 200. It was the deadliest incident of the Rafah offensive.

On 28 May 2024, Gaza emergency services reported that four tank artillery shells struck a tent city in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone west of Rafah, hitting a group of tents and killing at least 21 people, at least 12 of whom were women, and injuring 64 people, including 10 in a critical condition. The strike occurred in an area designated as an expanded humanitarian zone by Israel in the wake of the Rafah offensive which has led to the mass displacement of Palestinian civilians to tent cities outside of the city.

On 6 June 2024, the Israel Defense Forces fired two missiles at Al-Sardi, a UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Though the complex had not been used as a school since the outbreak of the war, UNRWA said approximately 6,000 people were using it for shelter.

The June 2024 northern Gaza City airstrikes or Al-Shati and Tuffah dual airstrikes took place on 22 June 2024, when two airstrikes conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces occurred at roughly the same time in northern districts of Gaza City, striking the al-Shati refugee camp and the Tuffah district, killing at least 43 people and wounding dozens more.

References

  1. 1 2 "Deadly attack on Gaza's Al-Mawasi 'safe zone' leaves mourning Palestinians wondering where to go". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sankar, Anjana (2024-06-21). "Strike on Area Where Displaced Gazans Were Camped Kills Up to 25". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  3. ↑ AAP (2024-05-28). "Israel sends tanks into Rafah amid Gaza-wide offensive". The Queenslander. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  4. ↑ "These photos show Palestinians' quick exodus from Rafah after Israel issued evacuation orders". AP News. 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  5. ↑ Nashed, Mat. "ICJ rules Israel must stop Rafah operation, what's next?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  6. 1 2 "Palestinians reel from repeated strikes on 'humanitarian zones'". NBC News. 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  7. ↑ "Video: Strike Kills Displaced Gazans in Al-Mawasi, Officials Say". The New York Times. 2024-05-28. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  8. ↑ Ebrahim, Nadeen (2024-05-27). "Israeli strike that killed 45 at camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah a 'tragic error,' Netanyahu says". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  9. ↑ Lilieholm, Lucas (2024-06-13). "Israel denies hitting designated safe zone following Palestinian news agency report". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "At least 22 Palestinians killed in shelling near Gaza office of Red Cross, agency says". The Guardian. 2024-06-22. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  11. 1 2 Bisset, Victoria (2024-06-22). "Dozens killed in multiple strikes in Gaza City, authorities say". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  12. 1 2 "Israeli strikes on tent camps near Rafah kill at least 25 and wound 50, Gaza health officials say". AP News. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
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