| September 2024 al-Mawasi refugee camp attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war andgenocide | |
  Al-Mawasi | |
| Location | Al-Mawasi,Khan Yunis,Gaza Strip |
| Date | 10 September 2024 |
Attack type | Airstrikes,massacre |
| Weapons | Three2,000-pound bombs, specificallySPICE bombs[1] |
| Deaths | 19-40+ Palestinians |
| Injured | 60+ Palestinians |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 10 September 2024, theIsraeli military conducted airstrikes on a refugee camp it had designated as a humanitarian "safe zone" inAl-Mawasi nearKhan Yunis in theGaza Strip where displaced civilians had been sheltering during theGaza war. Between 19 and 40Palestinians were killed in the attack, over 60 others were injured, and several people were trapped under the rubble. ThePalestinian Civil Defence described the attack as amassacre.[2][3][4]
During theGaza war, Palestinians were ordered by Israel toevacuate to humanitarian safe zones. In December 2023, theIsrael Defense Forces had declared Al-Mawasi a humanitarian safe zone[5] but had attacked it inMay,June, andJuly 2024.[6][7] Prior to the attack, almost 86% of the Gaza Strip had been placed under evacuation orders and more than 1.9 million Palestinians had been displaced.[2]
The attacks on al-Mawasi took place in the middle of the night on 10 September between midnight and 1 am.[8] According to eyewitnesses, Israeli warplanes hit al-Mawasi with at least five missiles, an overcrowded designated "safe zone" where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge from Israeli attacks, resulting in three large craters in the sand as deep as 9 meters.[2] Several refugee tents caught fire from the explosion.[9] According to civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal, no warnings were given prior to the strikes, and the bombs destroyed 20 to 40 tents, causing "entire families" to disappear in the sand.[10][2]
According toCNN, two weapons experts have indicated that the visual evidence from the Al-Mawasi attack suggests the use of 2,000-pound bombs.[2] According toAl Jazeera's verification agency Sanad, Israel may have usedUS-madeMark 84 bombs against the displaced families.[11]
Ambulance and civil defense teams reported that they were having difficulties retrieving the bodies of the deceased Palestinians.[3] Footage of the strike's aftermath show civilians digging in the sand with their hands to search for survivors. Several local Palestinians complained that "there is no safe place in Gaza" and that "we complied with the orders to evacuate, and this happened to us".[12]
Hamas denied that it stationed fighters in al-Mawasi, and labeled the Israeli accusations as lies to justify its "ugly crimes".[3]
Israel claimed that the attack targeted "significant Hamas terrorists" who were operating a "command-and-control center", and asserted that "numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional means".[3]
United Nations Secretary GeneralAntonio Guterres condemned the strike, whose spokespersonStéphane Dujarric denounced the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas as "unconscionable". Dujarric also stated that "there is no safe place in Gaza".[2] UN Middle East peace envoyTor Wennesland condemned the strike on a densely populated area where displaced people were sheltering.[13]
United Kingdom Foreign SecretaryDavid Lammy said the strike was "shocking" and stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire.[14]At least 22 more are reported missing, presumed to have been vaporised by the force of the explosions.
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