The 9 July 2024 Gaza attacks refer to a series of coordinated attacks by the

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 ...

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 ...

and Deir al-Balah, resulting in the deaths of at least 50

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 ...

and injury of at least 80 more as reported by the

Gaza Health Ministry The Gaza Health Ministry is the government agency responsible for healthcare and medical services in the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories. It operates under the administration of the Hamas authority that has run the territory since 200 ...

Background

In July 2024,

furthered incursions into and expanded intense confrontations in several districts in Gaza City following Israeli intelligence reports indicating a build up of Hamas and Islamic Jihad forces in the southern districts of Tal al-Hawa,

Sabra Sabra may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sabra (comics), a fictional Israeli female superhero in the Marvel Comics universe * Sabra (magazine), a Japanese magazine for men * ''Sabra Command'' the original title of the film ''Warhead'' * "Sabr ...

, and Shujayea. Residents of Gaza City were instructed using leaflets to relocate to the central Gaza district of Deir el-Balah for safety, a location that the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

reported was heavily overcrowded due to Palestinians from several other regions taking refuge there. Many residents reporting “explosions and numerous gun battles” and helicopter strikes in southwestern Gaza City.

Attacks

At least 50 Palestinians were killed in attacks across Gaza City and Deir el-Balah. This included three deaths in a bombing on Lababida street and six deaths from a strike on a house located on al-Jalaa Street, both in northern Gaza City. One infant was rescued alive from the rubble at al-Jalaa Street. At least one person was killed and several wounded in an Israeli artillery shelling in the

Sabra district Sabra District is a district of Tlemcen Province in north-western Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algie ...

in southern Gaza City. A multi-story building in

Nuseirat refugee camp Nuseirat ( ar, مخيّم النصيرات) 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 Pa ...

housing the Freih family was attacked by an Israeli airstrike in the morning of 9 July, causing seventeen deaths which included fourteen children and requiring neighbors to assist first responders in search for and recover survivors and victims. A

UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 P ...

-ran school in Nuseirat was also struck, injuring several Palestinians. Another attack in Bureij Refugee Camp struck a group of civilians and killed at least nine Palestinians, including at least five children. Eyewitnesses stated that most of the victims were children who were playing in a street near the Abu Rasas roundabout.

Aftermath

The

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 ...

received over 80 injured Palestinians and sixteen bodies, many who required immediate surgery and suffered from gunshot injuries to the head, requiring intensive care. Treatment for the injured was impeded by severe fuel and medical supply shortages at the hospital, as well as the sudden surge of patients requiring "every corner" of the hospital to be filled with patients. Half of the deceased received by the hospital were women and children. Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal stated that first responders were dispatched to several houses shelled in Jaffa in Gaza City, where first responders reported being unable to retrieve several casualties and "scores of bodies" lying on the ground. A report by the IDF states that they had “eliminated dozens of terrorists and located numerous weapons” in Gaza City, and intended continue ground and tunnel raids in Shuja'iyya neighborhood. However, Israel was forced to retreat on 12 July from areas of Gaza city which it had occupied, though some snipers continued to control high ground. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported not being able to reach the locations of several emergency calls in Gaza City due to intensive conflict and bombardment.

Reactions

Middle East political analyst Mouin Rabbani postulated that the increased frequency and intensity of attacks on Gaza City and central Gaza were conducted by the IDF as an implicit way to decrease the chances of a fully-formed ceasefire deal with Hamas from manifesting, as well as a means to take out their anger of not being able to target Hamas and other milita leaders on civilians. He emphasized that any attempts by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to organize a ceasefire agreement were persistently undermined by their supplying and enabling of Israeli attacks on civilian populations. Journalist and

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

fellow Rami Khouri called Israel's increased attacks on civilian locations a "failed strategy" employed since the start of the war to isolate civilians and make efforts to resist seem futile as a means to push for surrender.

References

Airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war 2024 airstrikes Airstrikes conducted by Israel July 2024 events in Asia Israeli massacres of Palestinians Massacres committed by Israel 2024 in the Gaza Strip Civilians killed in the Israel–Hamas war UNRWA 2024 massacres of the Israel–Hamas war Massacres in the Gaza Strip Building bombings in the Gaza Strip {{Israel-Hamas war