Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
conducted targeted shelling operations on the
al-Shati refugee camp
Al-Shati ( ar, مخيم الشاطئ), also known as Shati or Beach camp, is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the northern Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea coastline in the Gaza Governorate, and more specifically Gaza City.
Al-Sha ...
in
Gaza City
Gaza (;''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998), , p. 761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory in Palestine, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza...". ar, غَزَّة ', ), also referred to as Gaza City, i ...
. The bombings hit a group of
Palestinians
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
gathered to pray near the ruins of a mosque in the camp, killing at least 22.
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
. 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.
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
conducted two separate airstrikes on the refugee camp at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 9 and 12 October, destroying four
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s and killing at least 15 civilians. 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.
Attack
On 13 July 2024, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported that at least 22 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
The Zuhr prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر ', "noon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Zuhr prayer is technically the fourth prayer of the day.Maghrib and
Isha prayer
The Isha prayer ( ar, صلاة العشاء ', "night prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Isha prayer is technically the second prayer of the day. If counted from midnight, it is t ...
s in order to avoid being potentially targeted then.
The
Palestinian Red Crescent
The Palestine Red Crescent Society ( ar,
جمعية الهلال الأحمر الفلسطيني, PRCS) was founded in 1968, by Fathi Arafat, Yasser Arafat's brother. It is a humanitarian organization that is part of the International Red Cro ...
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
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital ( ar, المستشفى الأهلي العربي, lit=The Arab People's Hospital) is a hospital in Gaza City. Its headquarters are located in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the south of the city, and it is managed by the Ep ...
.
Reactions
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
called the attacks "escalating
Zionist terrorism
Zionist political violence refers to politically motivated violence or terror perpetrated by Zionists. The term is used to describe violence committed by those who support the political movement of Zionism, and violence committed against oppo ...
and
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
's and his government's role in them acts attempts to "undermine all concepts of
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
" while ignoring "every
humanitarian
Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
voice", that would further destabilize the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
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
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
Al-Shati refugee camp airstrikes
On 9 October 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike on al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, destroying four mosques. According to Palestinian media, the attack killed people inside. The camp is G ...