On 13 July 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted targeted shelling operations on the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. The bombings hit a group of Palestinians gathered to pray near the ruins of a mosque in the camp, killing at least 22.[1][2] The IDF claims that 20 of those killed were Hamas militants.[3]
The al-Shati camp was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled by Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[4][5] 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.[4]
Israel Defense Forces conducted two separate airstrikes on the refugee camp at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 9 and 12 October, destroying four mosques and killing at least 15 civilians.[6] Houses in Al-Shati camp were again targeted by Israeli forces on 22 June 2024, where an airstrike killed 24 people.[7]
Attack
On 13 July 2024, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported that at least 22 people were killed by military shelling conducted on 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 for noon 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 evening Maghrib and Isha prayers in order to avoid being potentially targeted then.[1][8][2]
The Palestinian 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 nearby al-Ahli Arab Hospital.[1]
The Iraqi government condemned the attacks in conjunction with attacks on al-Mawasi camp that also occurred on 13 July 2024, calling the attacks and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's and his government's role in them acts attempts to "undermine all concepts of international law" while ignoring "every humanitarian voice", that would further destabilize the Middle 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 Palestinian human rights.[9]
