| December 2024 Nuseirat refugee camp attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war | |
  Nuseirat refugee camp Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | Nuseirat refugee camp,Gaza Strip,Palestine |
| Date | 12 December 2024 |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 33 |
| Injured | 50 |
| Perpetrators |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 12 December 2024, theIsraeli Air Force conducted anairstrike on a residential block in theNuseirat refugee camp inDeir al-Balah Governorate which resulted in at least 33 civilian deaths and approximately 50 injuries. The airstrike targeted a postal facility being used as a civilian shelter, and caused significant damage to adjacentresidential buildings.
Nuseirat (Arabic:مخيّم النصيرات) is aPalestinian refugee camp located in the middle of theGaza Strip,[1] five kilometers north-east ofDeir al-Balah. The Nuseirat refugee camp has been bombed repeatedly since the start of theGaza war. On 18 October 2023 the Grand Nuseirat Mosque was bombed and destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.[2]
On 8 June 2024, theIDF andYamam rescued fourIsraeli hostages held byHamas in Nuseirat, includingNoa Argamani, duringa rescue operation.[3][4] TheGaza Health Ministry reported that at least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 wounded in the Israeli airstrikes on the refugee camp during the operation, causing international outrage and the attack deemed amassacre.[5][6]
On 12 December 2024, theIsraeli Air Force conducted anairstrike targeting a high-rise residential structure containing apostal facility, which was being used ascivilian shelter forGazans displaced due to the ongoingIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.Emergency medical personnel reported that the airstrike caused thestructural collapse of the high-rise with smoke rising from the debris, and caused significant damage to adjacent residential buildings.[7][8]
Two medical facilities,al-Awda Hospital innorthern Gaza andal-Aqsa Hospital incentral Gaza, received casualties from the strike. The strike resulted in significant civilian casualties, with at least 33 confirmed deaths and approximately 50 individuals sustaining injuries, with children comprising the majority of the wounded. The airstrike primarily impacted the al-Sheikh Ali extended family, who comprised the majority of casualties.[7][8] ThePalestinian Health Ministry incorporated these casualties into their broader statistics of the conflict, which by this point had documented over 44,800 Palestinian fatalities since October 2023.[8]
TheGaza Government Media Office characterized the attack as a "barbaric and heinous massacre," emphasizing that Israeli forces had knowledge of the civilian nature of the target area. The office specifically noted the presence of residential buildings housing "civilians, children, women, and displaced persons".[7]
Israeli authorities did not immediately issue a statement regarding the strike.[7]
