| August 2024 Deir al-Balah attacks | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war andgenocide | |
  Az-Zawayda Nuseirat camp Locations within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | Az-Zawayda andNuseirat refugee camp,Deir al-Balah,Gaza Strip |
| Date | 17 August 2024 |
Attack type | Airstrikes and naval strikes |
| Deaths | 34+ Palestinians[1] |
| Injured | Multiple[1] |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 17 August 2024, theIsrael Defense Forces conducted a series of military attacks onaz-Zawayda inDeir al-Balah and in theNuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 34 people including a family of fifteen. The military strikes and civilian deaths were conducted shortly following the conclusion ofceasefire negotiations inQatar betweenHamas andIsrael, mediated by theUnited States.[1]
In the midst of the attacks, ceasefire negotiations were ongoing in the Qatari capital ofDoha between Israel and Hamas, mediated by theUnited States.United States PresidentJoe Biden made a statement on the eve of the attacks stating that he was "optimistic" about the progress made towards bridging gaps in demands and towards negotiating a ceasefire agreement.[1]
Contrary to this,Israeli officials states that they are attempting to "lower expectations" of aceasefire deal due to significant gaps betweenIsrael andHamas demands.Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu stated that there were multiple red lines he refused to negotiate or compromise on. Similarly, a senior official of Hamas called Biden's optimism towards both parties moving closer to a ceasefire agreement was "an illusion" and that they were "not facing a deal or real negotiations, but rather the imposing of Americandiktats."[1]
AnIDF air raid targeted a family home and a warehouse next to it that was being used as a shelter for displaced people near the entrance of the town of az-Zawayda in the Deir el-Balah Governorate. Eyewitness Ahmed Abu al-Ghoul reported that three rockets targeted the buildings, and that they made direct strikes on the structures.[2] The airstrike killed fifteen members of the family of Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a seller of goods to retailers who worked with Israel troops to distribute food across the Gaza Strip to provide aid during thehumanitarian crisis.[3] One of the surviving relatives stated that "They were all dismembered. There wasn’t a single complete body."[1] The bodies of the victims were taken to theShuhada al-Aqsa Hospital. A list created by the hospital reported that in addition to Sami, his two wives, eleven of their children aged from two to twenty-two, the grandmother of the children, and three separate relatives were killed in the airstrike.[3]
A family in the Nuseirat refugee camp was struck byIsraeli Navy boats firing on a residential tower, killing at least seven members.[1][4]
The IDF shelled a home in the al-Hakr area killing or wounding several citizens.[1]
The Israeli Defense Forces stated that they had targeted "terrorist infrastructure" in Deir el-Balah following thelaunching of rockets from the area.[3]
