Al-Shati refugee camp airstrike

al-Shati refugee camp airstrike
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Type	Airstrike
Location	al-Shati Camp, Gaza, Palestine
Date	9 and 12 October 2023
Executed by	Israel Defense Forces
Casualties	15+[1][2] killed

On 9 October 2023, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike on al-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, destroying four mosques. According to Palestinian media, the attack killed people inside. The camp is Gaza's third-largest refugee camp, with a population of more than 90,000 refugees.^[3] A second strike was conducted on 12 October, killing 13 people.^[2]

Background

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. It contains a sewage system, a health center and 23 schools (17 primary, 6 secondary).^[3][4] With an area of 0.52 km², as of 2023 it was one of the most densely populated places in the world.^[3]

Airstrike

Following Hamas's invasion of southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, Israel launched airstrikes at different areas in the Gaza Strip. In the Shati airstrikes, four mosques were hit, the al-Gharbi mosque, Yassin mosque, and al-Sousi mosque. All were destroyed according to satellite footage, and local news reported an unspecified number of people were killed inside.^[5][6][7] The Palestinian Ministry of Health described the situation as "a massacre".^[8][9][10]

According to a recording released by an IDF spokesperson, between two residents of the Al-Shati, Hamas prevented civilians from leaving the area in order to use them as human shields.^[11]

See also

• Airstrikes on Palestinian refugee camps during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

References

1. "Dozens killed and injured in Israeli missile strikes". Peninsula. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
2. "Israeli attack on Gaza refugee camp kills dozens of Palestinians=15 October 2023". Euromedia. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
3. "Gaza Strip beach camp". UNRWA. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
4. Badil Archived 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
5. Leatherby, Lauren; Yourish, Karen; Shao, Elena; Murray, Eli; Reinhard, Scott; Holder, Josh; Chang, Agnes; Lutz, Eleanor; Cai, Weiyi; Robles, Pablo; Abraham, Leanne; Levitt, Zach; Wallace, Tim; Al-Hlou, Yousur; Toler, Aric; Jhaveri, Ishaan; Stein, Robin; Wu, Ashley; Mellen, Riley; Ismay, John; Yazbek, Hiba; Koettl, Christoph; Escobar, Molly Cook; Smart, Charlie; Kingsley, Patrick; Bergman, Ronen; Walker, Amy Schoenfeld; Erden, Bora; Huang, Jon (2023-10-07). "Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
6. Abdulrahim, Raja; Harouda, Ameera (2023-10-09). "Israeli Airstrikes Hit Marketplace and Mosques in Gaza, Killing Dozens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
7. "Masscre of Shati refugee camp". wafa English. 9 October 2023.
8. Dahman, Ibrahim (2023-10-08). "'Nowhere to go': Ordinary Palestinians live in fear as Israel retaliates against Hamas". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
9. "al-Shati refugee camp airstrike", Wikipedia, 2023-11-14, archived from the original on 2023-12-23, retrieved 2023-11-21
10. "Israel strikes Hamas target in Gaza refugee camp, military says". Reuters. 2023-10-24. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
11. חלבי, עינב (2023-11-09). "עזתים שעזבו דרומה: "הנייה ומשעל מרגלים". צה"ל פרסם הקלטה: "חמאס מונע פינוי"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.