Nuseirat refugee camp massacre

Last updated

Nuseirat refugee camp massacre
Part of the Israel–Hamas war and the Rafah offensive
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Nuseirat refugee camp
Location within the Gaza Strip
Location Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Date8 June 2024
Attack type
 Raid, airstrikes, massacre
Deaths
  • At least 276 Palestinians killed (per Palestinian health officials) [1] [2] [3]
  • Less than 100 Palestinian casualties (Per IDF) [4]
InjuredOver 698 Palestinians [5]
Victims Palestinian civilians and militants
PerpetratorsFlag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces

On 8 June 2024, during a rescue operation carried out by Yamam, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units in the UNRWA Nuseirat refugee camp, [6] at least 276 Palestinians were killed and over 698 injured, [5] according to the Hamas media office and Palestinian health officials from Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital. [1] [7] According to reports, Al-Aqsa Hospital was overwhelmed with casualties, while communications were disrupted by intense Israeli bombing. [8] Four Israeli hostages held by Hamas at Nuseirat were rescued in the operation, [9] [10] including Noa Argamani. [11] Hamas said that three other hostages were killed, including an American hostage, [12] but the IDF rejects this claim. [13]

Contents

The event took place two days after an Israeli airstrike in the same camp hit the al-Sardi school that was sheltering displaced Palestinian refugees, Local health officials reported the deaths of more than 30 people, including 12 women and children. [14] Israel said it was targeting Hamas militants who took part in the 7 October attack. [15]

Background

The Nuseirat refugee camp is a long standing UNRWA refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, in Deir al-Balah. [16] The camp has been repeatedly bombed during the Israel-Hamas war, with over a hundred Palestinians killed in the attacks. The most recent attack on the camp occurred only days before the rescue operation, with IDF forces striking the UNRWA school in the camp, killing at least 33 people. It is unclear how many of this number were civilians. [17] [18] [19] [20]

Assault

An Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said that the rescue mission took place in the heart of the residential neighborhood in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the four hostages were reportedly kept in two separate residential apartment blocks. [21] [22] The operation reportedly involved hundreds of troops and heavy air support that hit parts of the refugee camp. [23] [5] Journalists on the ground described "intense bombardment", including "artillery shelling, air strikes and also live ammunition from the warships." [24]

Some special forces members entered the refugee camp posing as Palestinian refugees fleeing Rafah per Saudi reporters. They reportedly told locals that they were escaping the Israeli assault on Rafah, while other Palestinian locals alleged that other forces entered in humanitarian trucks. [23] According to witnesses, Israeli military vehicles unexpectedly moved into the camp, the movement coinciding with heavy bombardment of large areas of the camp. [25] [26]

According to the IDF, a large firefight occurred as the rescue forces were attempting to disengage with the hostages, reportedly coming under fire from dozens of militants with RPGs and machine guns when their vehicle became stuck necessitating defensive airstrikes which killed militants and civilians. [27] [28] A local resident and paramedic called the attack like a "horror movie" and that Israeli drones and warplanes fired throughout the night at people's homes and those who tried to flee. [21] Many individual testimonies of eyewitnesses who survived the intense fire-fight have been collected, according to Mondoweiss. [29]

According to Hamas, several Israeli hostages were killed in the Israeli attack. [30] Social media footage that Reuters was unable to immediately verify showed the aftermath of the assault, with bodies with entrails hanging out on bloodstained streets. [21] Hamas claimed in a video clip that three hostages were killed during the operation including an American. [12]

A video showing an IDF helicopter taking off from the beach with the US humanitarian-aid pier in the background began to circulate online on 8 June and US was accused of using the humanitarian pier in the IDF operation, but two US officials denied the accusations. [31] The World Food Programme paused its operation in the pier due to security concerns and UN human rights experts condemned the Israeli forces for allegedly hiding in aid trucks that came from the pier. [32]

Casualties

The Gaza Health Ministry and health officials reported that at least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 were wounded due to the Israeli rescue operation. [1] [33] Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli was aware of "under 100" Palestinians had been killed in the operation. Neither the health ministry nor Hagari clarified how many casualties were civilians. [33] [34] The Gazan Health Ministry reported that 64 children and 57 women were killed. [35]

Trucks and ambulances rushed casualties to Al-Aqsa Hospital for treatment. [5] Prior to the massacre, the hospital had already been overwhelmed with civilian casualties. A Doctors Without Borders representative described the situation at Al-Aqsa as a "nightmare." [26] A Doctors Without Borders paediatric intensive care doctor at Al-Asqa stated the emergency department was a "complete bloodbath… it looks like a slaughterhouse". [36] The same doctor stated only one generator at the hospital was functioning, meaning ventilators, lights, and the internet were not working. [37]

Reactions

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas instructed the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations to request an emergency session to the UN Security Council to discuss the repercussions of the operation and resulting deaths. Abbas emphasized the "urgent need for international intervention to halt the humanitarian catastrophe." [25] Top European Union diplomat Joseph Borrell also attributed the operation as a massacre, while the United Nations chief described the aftermath in graphic detail including the scenes of "shredded bodies on the ground." [33] Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik called the attack "another massacre of civilians in Gaza". [38]

The rescue operation was deemed a massacre across much of the Middle East, with Egypt and Jordan calling the operation a violation of international law and Lebanon's foreign ministry a massacre. [23] In a statement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned "the horrific massacre carried out by the Israeli occupation army, which resulted in the murder and injury of hundreds of Palestinians". [39] The Arab Parliament also condemned the operation, calling it a "massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation entity". [40]

Abu Obaida, the spokesman for the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades, condemned the raid and called it a "complex war crime". [23]

The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the use of a humanitarian aid truck as a disguise for military operations, labeling it as a "violation of international humanitarian and customary law" and noting that such actions constitute perfidy, which is considered a war crime. [41]

UN human rights experts condemned what they described as the "umpteenth massacre by Israeli forces in Gaza" and condemned the Israeli forces for hiding in humanitarian aid trucks that were coming from the US humanitarian-aid pier. [42] The U.N. Human Rights Office described possible war crimes committed during the operation, including possible violations of the rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution. [43]

The Doctors Without Borders coordinator in Gaza asked, "How many more men, women and children have to be killed before world leaders decide to put an end to this massacre?" [44] According to Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Doctors Without Border pediatrician, colleagues in the emergency department at Al-Asqa hospital described the situation by "repeating the word massacre, massacre, massacre over and over again." [45]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Parker, Claire; El Chamaa, Mohamad; Soroka, Lior (8 June 2024). "More than 200 Palestinians killed in Israeli hostage raid in Gaza". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  2. ↑ Shurafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy (9 June 2024). "Gaza's Health Ministry says 274 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raid that rescued 4 hostages". AP News. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "274 Palestinians were killed in Saturday's strikes on Nuseirat camp, Gaza health ministry says". The Frontier Times. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "IDF says under 100 Palestinian casualties, including terrorists, in rescue op; Hamas claims 210 'martyrs'". The Times of Israel . 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Magramo, Kathleen (9 June 2024). "An Israeli operation rescues four hostages and kills scores of Palestinians. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Mohamed, Edna (8 June 2024). "Israel's war on Gaza live: Death toll from attacks on Nuseirat rises to 210". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Four Israeli hostages rescued alive; at least 210 people killed in Gaza, officials say". The Washington Post . 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "Hospital overwhelmed with victims of Israeli attacks on central Gaza". Al Jazeera. 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Four hostages seized at Nova festival freed in Gaza raid". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  10. ↑ "Israel kills more than 200 in attack on central Gaza: Gov't Media Office". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  11. ↑ Hjelmgaard, Kim; Tran, Ken; Santucci, Jeanine. "Noa Argamani among 4 hostages rescued from Gaza, Israeli forces say: live updates". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  12. 1 2 شاهد.. القسام تعلن مقتل 3 أسرى أحدهم أميركي خلال عملية النصيرات، Aljazeera.com، نُشر في 6 يونيو 2024، دُخل في 10 يونيو 2024.
  13. ↑ Barnes, Julian E.; Bergman, Ronen; Schmitt, Eric; Entous, Adam (9 June 2024). "The Other War: How Israel Scours Gaza for Clues About the Hostages". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ↑ "Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at a Gaza school the military claims was being used by Hamas". AP News. 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  15. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (6 June 2024). "IDF strikes UN school in central Gaza where it says dozens of terrorists were gathered". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ↑ "Nuseirat Camp". Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at a Gaza school the military claims was being used by Hamas". AP News. 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  18. ↑ "'Bombings everywhere': No escape for Gaza's displaced". France 24. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "Israeli bombing of Nuseirat refugee camp targets homes of medical staff". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Israeli attack kills 13 in Nuseirat refugee camp: Wafa". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 Lubell, Maayan; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (8 June 2024). "Israel rescues four hostages in Gaza; Hamas says 210 Palestinians killed in Israeli assault". Reuters .
  22. ↑ Donnison, Jon (9 June 2024). "Israel hostage rescue: How the operation unfolded". BBC News . Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Bacon, John (9 June 2024). "Israel celebrates heroic raid to free hostages; others call it a massacre". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  24. ↑ Khoudary, Hind. "Ambulances have not stopped transferring people to Al-Aqsa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  25. 1 2 Rjoob, Awad (9 June 2024). "Palestinian president seeks emergency UN Security Council session after 'Nuseirat massacre'". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  26. 1 2 Jahjouh, Mohammad; Jeffery, Jack; Chehayeb, Kareem (10 June 2024). "How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians in Gaza". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2024. Kamal Benaji, a Palestinian displaced from Gaza City who was living in a tent in central Nuseirat, said he saw a small truck with a car in front and another behind pull up in front of a building on the street where he had pitched his tent. The commandos sprang from the truck and one of them threw a grenade into the house. "Clashes and explosions broke out everywhere," he said [...] Palestinian militants armed with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on the rescuers, as Israel called in heavy strikes from land and air to cover their evacuation to the coast. [...] It was this bombardment that appears to have killed and wounded so many Palestinians.
  27. ↑ Jeremy Bob, Yonah; writer, Staff (9 June 2024). "IDF rescues four hostages from Hamas captivity in daring Gaza operation". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  28. ↑ "'Operation Arnon': How 4 hostages were freed from Hamas captivity in central Gaza". The Times of Israel . Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  29. ↑ Hajjaj, Tareq (9 June 2024). "'I heard all of my friends' last breath': Testimonies from the Nuseirat massacre". Mondoweiss .
  30. ↑ "Hamas armed wing says Israel killed some of its hostages in operation on central Gaza's al-Nuseirat". Reuters. 8 June 2024.
  31. ↑ Brennan, Margaret (8 June 2024). "U.S. provided support to Israeli forces in rescue of 4 hostages in Gaza – CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  32. ↑ "UN experts condemn outrageous disregard for Palestinian civilians during Israel's military operation in Nuseirat". OHCHR. United Nations. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  33. 1 2 3 Graham-Harrison, Emma; McKernan, Bethan (9 June 2024). "Outrage over 'massacre' in Gaza as Israel rescued four hostages". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  34. ↑ Mezzofiore, Benjamin Brown, Allegra Goodwin, Gianluca (10 June 2024). "Inside Israel's deadly operation to rescue four hostages". CNN. Retrieved 13 June 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ Taheri, Mandy (8 June 2024). "Dozens of Palestinian children killed amid Israeli rescue: Gaza ministry". Newsweek. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  36. ↑ "Al-Aqsa Hospital 'looks like a slaughterhouse'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  37. ↑ "Only 1 operational generator means oxygen supply won't work: MSF doctor". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  38. ↑ "Norwegian diplomat condemns 'massacre', calls for remaining captives' release". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  39. ↑ "OIC denounces deadly Israeli attack Nuseirat refugee camp". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  40. ↑ "Arab Parliament blames 'silence' of int'l community for Nuseirat 'massacre'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  41. ↑ Palestine Red Crescent Society [@PalestineRCS] (10 June 2024). "The Palestine Red Crescent Society warns of the dangers posed by the use of a humanitarian aid truck as cover for military operations" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024– via Twitter.
  42. ↑ "UN experts condemn outrageous disregard for Palestinian civilians during Israel's military operation in Nuseirat". OHCHR. United Nations. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  43. ↑ Keaten, Jamey. "UN says Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes in a deadly raid". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  44. ↑ "Chaotic scenes at Al-Aqsa, Nasser hospitals after bombings". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  45. ↑ "'Blood everywhere' at Al-Aqsa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
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