| Israeli attacks on Al-Maghazi refugee camp | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israel–Hamas war | |
  Al-Maghazi
Location within the Gaza Strip
| |
| Location | Maghazi camp, central Gaza Strip |
| Coordinates | 31°25′16.89″N 34°23′7.35″E / 31.4213583°N 34.3853750°E / 31.4213583; 34.3853750 |
| Date | 5 November, 24 December 2023 |
| Target | Maghazi refugee camp |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 190+ civilians |
| Perpetrators |  Israel Defense Forces |
Since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war on 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes in densely populated Palestinian refugee camps in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.[1] Al-Maghazi refugee camp was struck several times.
Israeli forces conducted an airstrike on a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, killing six people and injuring dozens, including UNRWA staff. The school building sustained a severe structural damage.[2]
The Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 45 people were killed, mostly women and children. The IDF did not confirm that the camp had been hit with an Israeli airstrike and said its airstrikes were "specific intelligence-based strikes, specifically against terrorist elements."[3][4][5][6] The airstrike caused severe damage to neighboring homes and infrastructure. The Gaza Health Ministry stated that more than 30 bodies were brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs HospitalinDeir Al-Balah following the airstrike.[7]
On 6 December 2023 at about 21:00, Israeli forces bombed a residential building in Barkat Al-Waz area, killing 18 Palestinians, mostly children, and injuring 20 others.[8][9]
On 24 and 25 December 2023, Israeli forces bombed the camp, killing more than 100 people.[10][11] Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra described the attack as a "massacre being committed on crowded residential square".[12][10] The Associated Press reported on 25 December they had seen records from the nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital which indicated that at least 106 people had been killed in the attack.[13]
An IDF spokesperson stated that the strike "apparently resulted in harm to those not involved" and that "the IDF regrets the harm to those not involved."[14] An IDF official said that the extensive death toll was due to incorrect munitions being used in the attack.[15]
Fifteen people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Al-Maghazi on 1 January.[16] On 5 January 2024, it was reported that Israel has increased violence towards camp residents. People were being shot at and crushed by tanks. Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli sniper shot dead a mother and her infant, "piercing the baby’s skull with a bullet".[17] On 16 January, sixteen bodies were recovered from under rubble following multiple days of airstrikes.[18] Multiple people were reportedly killed and injured on 29 March.[19] At least three people were reportedly killed by an Israeli bombing on 31 March.[20]
On 16 April, health officials reported that an Israeli airstrike killed 13 people, including seven children; one witness stated that, "You are killing children. You are not killing an army or fighters; you are killing children who were peacefully playing in the street.", and another, speaking of "kids dead on the ground", said "They were just playing foosball, and they were martyred."[21][22]
On 25 June,Israeli forces bombed a house in the Maghazi refugee camp, killing five people including three children.[23][24]
