| July 2024 al-Shati refugee camp attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of thesiege of Gaza City during theGaza war andgenocide | |
  Al-Shati camp Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | al-Shati refugee camp,Gaza City,Gaza Strip |
| Date | 13 July 2024 |
Attack type | Shelling |
| Deaths | 22+ Palestinians (20 were militants, according to Israel) |
| Injured | 20+ Palestinians |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 13 July 2024, theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an attack against a makeshift mosque in theal-Shati refugee camp inGaza City. The bombings killed 22 worshippers as they prayed inside the mosque.[1][2] Palestinian sources reported those killed were civilians,[3] while Israel said it killed "20 Hamas terrorists".[4]
Theal-Shati camp was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians whofled or were expelled by Israeli forces during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.[5][6] 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.[5]
Israel Defense Forces conductedtwo separate airstrikes on the refugee camp at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 9 and 12 October, destroying fourmosques and killing at least 15 civilians.[7] Houses in Al-Shati camp were again targeted by Israeli forces on 22 June 2024, where anairstrike killed 24 people.[8]
On 13 July 2024, thePalestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported that at least 22 people were killed by military shelling conducted in 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 fornoon prayer at the site of a destroyed mosque at the time of the attack. Eyewitnesses reported that the camp residents only gathered for noon prayer at the mosque, and not for eveningMaghrib andIsha prayers in order to avoid being potentially targeted then.[1][9][2]
ThePalestinian Red Crescent 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 nearbyal-Ahli Arab Hospital.[1]
Hamas called the attacks "escalatingZionist terrorism andcrimes against humanity".[1]Palestinian sources reported those killed were civilians,[3] while Israel said it killed "20 Hamas terrorists".[4] One Palestinian local said an entire mosque shouldn't be bombed just because a Hamas member happens to be praying in it.[4]
TheIraqi government condemned the attacks in conjunction withattacks on al-Mawasi camp that also occurred on 13 July 2024, calling the attacks andIsraeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's and his government's role in them acts attempts to "undermine all concepts ofinternational law" while ignoring "everyhumanitarian voice", that would further destabilize theMiddle East 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 Palestinianhuman rights.[10]
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