Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 23:39, 18 June 2024

A request that this article title be changed to Killing of civilians during Nuseirat raid and rescue is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed.

It has been suggested that this article be merged into 2024 Nuseirat rescue operation. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2024.

Nuseirat refugee camp massacre
Part of the Israel–Hamas war and the Rafah offensive
Nuseirat refugee campLocation within the Gaza Strip
Location	Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Date	8 June 2024
Attack type	Raid, airstrikes, massacre
Deaths	At least 276 Palestinians killed (per Palestinian health officials) Less than 100 Palestinian casualties (Per IDF)
Injured	Over 698 Palestinians
Victims	Palestinian civilians and militants
Perpetrators	Israel Defense Forces

On 8 June 2024, the Israeli military killed at least 276 people and injured over 698, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health and Palestinian health officials, during a hostage rescue operation in the UNRWA Nuseirat refugee camp. The operation's objective was to free multiple hostages taken during the 7 October attack on Israel. The Israeli military acknowledged fewer than 100 Palestinian deaths.

The operation reportedly involved hundreds of ground troops and a heavy initial bombardment on the camp. According to the IDF, violence further escalated when the IDF vehicle carrying three hostages broke down, leading to intense firefights, airstrikes, and naval support. Wounded civilians were taken to the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital, though Al-Aqsa was reportedly overwhelmed with casualties and experienced communications disruptions due to the intense Israeli bombing.

While the Israeli military was praised for its successful rescue of four Israeli hostages, it was condemned for the high civilian death toll. Both humanitarian organizations and governments described the assault as a massacre, and the United Nations stated the IDF may have committed war crimes. In its defense, Israel said it was targeting Hamas militants who took part in the 7 October attack.

Background

The Nuseirat refugee camp is a long standing UNRWA refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, in Deir al-Balah. The camp has been repeatedly bombed during the Israel-Hamas war, with over a hundred Palestinians killed in the attacks. The most recent attack on the camp occurred only days before the rescue operation, with IDF forces striking the UNRWA school in the camp, killing at least 33 people, including 12 women and children. It is unclear how many of this number were civilians.

Operation and massacre

Initial bombardment and rescue operation

On 8 June 2024 around midday, the Israeli army initiated a rescue operation for hostages taken during the 7 October attack. According to Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the rescue mission took place in the heart of the residential neighborhood in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where four hostages were reportedly kept in two separate residential apartment blocks. According to Omar Ashour, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Israeli forces first launched heavy operations on Deir al-Balah and Bureij to draw out militants and obscure its intentions, and then launch an intense assault on Nuseirat.

The operation reportedly involved hundreds of troops and heavy air support that hit the refugee camp. According to witnesses, Israeli military vehicles unexpectedly moved into the camp, with the movement coinciding with heavy bombardment of large areas of the camp. Journalists on the ground also described an intense bombardment, including airstrikes, live ammunition from nearby warships, and artillery shelling.

Special forces entered the refugee camp posing as Palestinian refugees fleeing Rafah, according to Israeli security sources. They reportedly told locals that they were escaping the Israeli assault on Rafah, and Palestinian locals stated that other forces entered in humanitarian trucks. A witness stated Israeli specialized forces had arrived with furniture on their vehicle to appear like refugees, and then, "The operative got out two ladders and came into our home fully armed. Chaos erupted with gunfire and explosions".

Firefight and airstrikes

According to the IDF, after the Israeli forces had recovered the hostages, at least one of their vehicles broke down. The Israeli military then called in support, "attacking from the air, from the sea and on the ground with massive force." A witness in the camp reported a "crazy bombardment" occurred suddenly. Footage showed Palestinians in the market area diving for cover as missiles flew in and gunfire erupted, and a witness who had been in the marketplace stated that about 150 rockets fell at and around the market place in less then 10 minutes. According to witnesses and video footage, the strikes destroyed apartment buildings and even entire residential blocks throughout the camp.

Per a resident and paramedic in the camp, the assault felt like a "horror movie" and that Israeli drones and warplanes fired randomly throughout the night at peoples' homes and those who tried to flee the area. One witness stated, "Anyone who was moving in the street was killed". Videos showed corpses with entrails spilling out lying on blood-stained streets, although Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage.

Many individual testimonies of eyewitnesses who survived the intense fire-fight have been collected, according to Mondoweiss. In the aftermath, one woman stated, "We don’t know where the children are. We lost them, and now we are being displaced for a third time with no idea where to go."

Casualties

Trucks and ambulances rushed wounded people to Al-Aqsa Hospital for treatment. Prior to the massacre, the hospital had already been overwhelmed with civilian casualties. A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) representative described the situation at Al-Aqsa as a "nightmare." An MSF paediatric intensive care doctor at Al-Asqa stated the emergency department was a "complete bloodbath… it looks like a slaughterhouse". The same doctor stated only one generator at the hospital was functioning, meaning ventilators, lights, and the internet were not working. Another MSF doctor stated, "We had the gamut of war wounds, trauma wounds, from amputations... to , fractures and, obviously, big burns".

The total number of casualties are disputed, with Israeli and Palestinian totals differing drastically. The Gaza Health Ministry and local health officials stated at least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 were wounded due to the Israeli rescue operation. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that Israel was aware of "under 100" Palestinians who had been killed in the operation. Neither the Health Ministry nor IDF clarified how many casualties were civilians. The Gazan Health Ministry reported that 64 children and 57 women were killed.

According to Hamas, several Israeli hostages were killed in the Israeli attack. The group stated in a video clip that three hostages were killed during the operation, including an American. The Israeli military denied that any hostages were killed during the operation.

U.S. involvement

In the immediate aftermath of the operation, the United States was accused of allowing its humanitarian pier to be used by the IDF. This accusation arose after video footage showed an IDF helicopter taking off from a beach with the humanitarian-aid pier in the background. Two US officials denied this. In a statement, the Pentagon spokesperson stated that Israeli helicopters used an area "near" the pier. Both Israeli and American officials, however, confirmed that U.S. intelligence assisted the Israeli military for its rescue.

Impacts

The World Food Programme paused its operation with the U.S. humanitarian pier due to security concerns. UN human rights experts condemned the Israeli forces for allegedly hiding in aid trucks that came from the pier, describing the action as a war crime. The UN Human Rights Office also said that both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes, citing potential "violations of rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution" in the case of the former and "holding hostages in densely populated areas" for the latter.

Reactions

Domestic

•  Hamas: Abu Obaida, the spokesman for the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades, condemned the raid and called it a "complex war crime".
•  Palestine: President Mahmoud Abbas instructed the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations to request an emergency session to the UN Security Council to discuss the repercussions of the operation and resulting deaths. Abbas emphasized the "urgent need for international intervention to halt the humanitarian catastrophe."

International

Governments

•  Cuba: Foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez stated, "We condemn in the strongest terms the massacre carried out by the Israeli army in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza."
•  Egypt: The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the killing of civilians was "a flagrant violation of all rules of international law".
•  Indonesia: The country condemned the "repeated atrocities" committed by Israel in Gaza, including in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
•  Jordan: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called "on the international community and especially the Security Council to take immediate and urgent action to stop Israel's war crimes in Gaza."
•  Kuwait: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the killing of civilians, calling it a "heinous crime".
•  Lebanon: The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the operation a massacre.
•  Norway: Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik called the attack "another massacre of civilians in Gaza".
•  Turkey: The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the killing of civilians a "barbaric attack".
•  United States: The National Security Advisor stated, "Israel should be operating in a way, not just consistent with the laws of war, but taking extra precautions to try to protect civilians".

Supranational

•  United Nations: United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres described the aftermath in graphic detail including the scenes of "shredded bodies on the ground." Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, said, "Countries that celebrate the release of four Israeli hostages without saying a word about the hundreds of Palestinians killed and thousands held in arbitrary detention by Israel, have lost moral credibility for generations and don’t deserve to be on any U.N. human rights body." UN human rights experts condemned what they described as the "umpteenth massacre by Israeli forces in Gaza" and condemned the Israeli forces for hiding in humanitarian aid trucks that were coming from the US humanitarian-aid pier. The U.N. Human Rights Office described possible war crimes committed during the operation, including possible violations of the rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution.
•  European Union: Top European Union diplomat Joseph Borrell described the operation as a massacre.
•  Organization of Islamic Cooperation: In a statement, the OIC condemned "the horrific massacre carried out by the Israeli occupation army, which resulted in the murder and injury of hundreds of Palestinians".
•  Gulf Cooperation Council: Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the operation as a "terrorist crime that targeted unarmed civilians with unprecedented barbarism."
• Arab Parliament: In a statement, the Arab Parliament condemned the operation, describing it as a massacre

Humanitarian aid groups

• The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the use of a humanitarian aid truck as a disguise for military operations, labeling it as a "violation of international humanitarian and customary law" and noting that such actions constitute perfidy, which is considered a war crime.
• The Doctors Without Borders coordinator in Gaza asked, "How many more men, women and children have to be killed before world leaders decide to put an end to this massacre?" According to Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Doctors Without Border pediatrician, colleagues in the emergency department at Al-Asqa hospital described the situation by "repeating the word massacre, massacre, massacre over and over again."

Other

• Saul Takahashi, a professor at Osaka Jogakuin University and a former deputy for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated, "The claim that the Israeli attack on Nuseirat camp was justified is completely ignorant of international law. Israel has shown itself time and time again that it does not care about international and humanitarian laws."
• Kenneth Roth, the former director of Human Rights Watch and a professor at Princeton University, stated the attack was "inconsistent with the duty to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians harm."

See also

• Refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war
• 2024 Nuseirat rescue operation
• List of massacres in the Palestinian territories
• Israeli war crimes in the Israel–Hamas war

Notes

1. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 64 of those killed were children.
2. The Israeli units involved with the operation included Yamam, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

References

1. ^ Parker, Claire; El Chamaa, Mohamad; Soroka, Lior (8 June 2024). "More than 200 Palestinians killed in Israeli hostage raid in Gaza". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
2. Shurafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy (9 June 2024). "Gaza's Health Ministry says 274 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raid that rescued 4 hostages". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
3. "274 Palestinians were killed in Saturday's strikes on Nuseirat camp, Gaza health ministry says". The Frontier Times. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
4. "Staggering number of children killed in Israel's Nuseirat attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
5. "IDF says under 100 Palestinian casualties, including terrorists, in rescue op; Hamas claims 210 'martyrs'". The Times of Israel. 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
6. ^ Magramo, Kathleen (9 June 2024). "An Israeli operation rescues four hostages and kills scores of Palestinians. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
7. • Mohamed, Edna (8 June 2024). "Israel's war on Gaza live: Death toll from attacks on Nuseirat rises to 210". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
   • "Four hostages seized at Nova festival freed in Gaza raid". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
   • "Israel kills more than 200 in attack on central Gaza: Gov't Media Office". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
8. Hjelmgaard, Kim; Tran, Ken; Santucci, Jeanine. "Noa Argamani among 4 hostages rescued from Gaza, Israeli forces say: live updates". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
9. "Hospital overwhelmed with victims of Israeli attacks on central Gaza". Al Jazeera. 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
10. "Four Israeli hostages rescued alive; at least 210 people killed in Gaza, officials say". The Washington Post. 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
11. Fabian, Emanuel (6 June 2024). "IDF strikes UN school in central Gaza where it says dozens of terrorists were gathered". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
12. "Nuseirat Camp". Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
13. "Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at a Gaza school the military claims was being used by Hamas". Associated Press. 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
14. "Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at a Gaza school the military claims was being used by Hamas". AP News. 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
15. • "'Bombings everywhere': No escape for Gaza's displaced". France 24. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
    • "Israeli bombing of Nuseirat refugee camp targets homes of medical staff". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
    • "Israeli attack kills 13 in Nuseirat refugee camp: Wafa". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
16. "Israeli attack on Nuseirat unfolded in 'broad daylight' after days of intense raids". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
17. ^ Lubell, Maayan; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (8 June 2024). "Israel rescues four hostages in Gaza; Hamas says 210 Palestinians killed in Israeli assault". Reuters.
18. Donnison, Jon (9 June 2024). "Israel hostage rescue: How the operation unfolded". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
19. "How did Israel's military carry out the Nuseirat operation?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
20. ^ Bacon, John (9 June 2024). "Israel celebrates heroic raid to free hostages; others call it a massacre". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
21. ^ Rjoob, Awad (9 June 2024). "Palestinian president seeks emergency UN Security Council session after 'Nuseirat massacre'". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
22. ^ Jahjouh, Mohammad; Jeffery, Jack; Chehayeb, Kareem (10 June 2024). "How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians in Gaza". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2024. Kamal Benaji, a Palestinian displaced from Gaza City who was living in a tent in central Nuseirat, said he saw a small truck with a car in front and another behind pull up in front of a building on the street where he had pitched his tent. The commandos sprang from the truck and one of them threw a grenade into the house. "Clashes and explosions broke out everywhere," he said Palestinian militants armed with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on the rescuers, as Israel called in heavy strikes from land and air to cover their evacuation to the coast. It was this bombardment that appears to have killed and wounded so many Palestinians.
23. Khoudary, Hind. "Ambulances have not stopped transferring people to Al-Aqsa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
24. Savir, Dana. "Israeli special forces dressed as Palestinian refugees for hostage rescue". ABC News. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
25. "Witnesses: Israeli soldiers disguised as displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
26. Donnison, Jon (10 June 2024). "How Gaza hostage raid ended with Israel striking crowded streets". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
27. Kennedy, Niamh (8 June 2024). "Israel rescues four hostages in operation Palestinian officials say killed more than 200 people". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
28. Donnison, Jon (8 June 2024). "Israel hostage rescue: How the operation unfolded". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
29. Magramo, Kathleen; Brown, Benjamin; Salman, Abeer; Brennan, Eve; Al-Sawalhi, Mohammad; Tanno, Sophie (9 June 2024). "An Israeli operation rescues four hostages and kills scores of Palestinians. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
30. Brown, Benjamin; Goodwin, Allegra; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (10 June 2024). "Inside Israel's deadly operation to rescue four hostages". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
31. "Israeli army says four captives rescued amid heavy strikes on Gaza". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
32. "What we know about Israel's deadly attack on Nuseirat camp". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
33. Hajjaj, Tareq (9 June 2024). "'I heard all of my friends' last breath': Testimonies from the Nuseirat massacre". Mondoweiss.
34. "210 Palestinians killed in central Gaza – Israel conducts major operation to free captives". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
35. "Al-Aqsa Hospital 'looks like a slaughterhouse'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
36. "Only 1 operational generator means oxygen supply won't work: MSF doctor". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
37. "Scenes of horror at Gaza hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
38. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; McKernan, Bethan (9 June 2024). "Outrage over 'massacre' in Gaza as Israel rescued four hostages". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
39. Mezzofiore, Benjamin Brown, Allegra Goodwin, Gianluca (10 June 2024). "Inside Israel's deadly operation to rescue four hostages". CNN. Retrieved 13 June 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
40. Taheri, Mandy (8 June 2024). "Dozens of Palestinian children killed amid Israeli rescue: Gaza ministry". Newsweek. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
41. "Hamas armed wing says Israel killed some of its hostages in operation on central Gaza's al-Nuseirat". Reuters. 8 June 2024.
42. شاهد.. القسام تعلن مقتل 3 أسرى أحدهم أميركي خلال عملية النصيرات، Aljazeera.com، نُشر في 6 يونيو 2024، دُخل في 10 يونيو 2024.
43. "IDF spokesman denies three Israeli hostages were killed in rescue operation". YouTube. Sky News. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
44. Barnes, Julian E.; Bergman, Ronen; Schmitt, Eric; Entous, Adam (9 June 2024). "The Other War: How Israel Scours Gaza for Clues About the Hostages". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
45. Brennan, Margaret (8 June 2024). "U.S. provided support to Israeli forces in rescue of 4 hostages in Gaza – CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
46. Stewart, Phil; Nichols, Michelle. "Pentagon says Israel did not use Gaza pier in hostage operation". Reuters. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
47. Barnes, Julian E. "U.S. Intelligence Helped Israel Rescue Four Hostages in Gaza". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
48. Ravid, Barak. "UN program pauses food distribution from Gaza pier, citing safety concerns". Axios. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
49. ^ "UN experts condemn outrageous disregard for Palestinian civilians during Israel's military operation in Nuseirat". OHCHR. United Nations. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
50. Keaten, Jamey (11 June 2024). "UN says Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes in a deadly raid". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
51. "Cuba slams Nuseirat massacre: 'More evidence of genocide'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
52. "Israel Rescues Four Hostages Kidnapped in Hamas' Oct. 7 Attack". Time. 8 June 2024.
53. "Indonesia kecam serangan Israel di kamp pengungsi Nuseirat". Antara. 9 June 2024.
54. ^ Eichner, Itamar (9 June 2024). "EU's foreign minister, countries around world, condemn rescue op as 'massacre, bloodbath'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
55. "'Heinous crime': Kuwait condemns Israeli attack on Nuseirat camp". Al Jazeera. 9 June 2024.
56. "Norwegian diplomat condemns 'massacre', calls for remaining captives' release". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
57. "Turkey calls Israel's hostage freeing mission 'barbaric attack'". Yahoo! News. DPA International. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
58. "Türkiye deplores Israeli attack on Gaza refugee camp". Hürriyet Daily News. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
59. "Jake Sullivan, Alejandro Mayorkas and IDF Spokesperson Peter Lerner". ABC News. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
60. "US urges Israel to 'operate differently' to avoid loss of innocent lives". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
61. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (8 June 2024). "Israel rescues four hostages in Gaza, as attacks nearby kill 93 Palestinians". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
62. "UN officials say IDF used 'perfidious' tactics during hostage rescue". Jewish News Syndicate. 9 June 2024.
63. Keaten, Jamey. "UN says Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes in a deadly raid". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
64. "OIC denounces deadly Israeli attack Nuseirat refugee camp". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
65. "Arab, Islamic Condemnation of Israeli Massacre in Nuseirat Camp in Gaza". Asharq Al-Awsat. 9 June 2024.
66. "Arab Parliament blames 'silence' of int'l community for Nuseirat 'massacre'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
67. Palestine Red Crescent Society (10 June 2024). "The Palestine Red Crescent Society warns of the dangers posed by the use of a humanitarian aid truck as cover for military operations" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024 – via Twitter.
68. "Chaotic scenes at Al-Aqsa, Nasser hospitals after bombings". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
69. "'Blood everywhere' at Al-Aqsa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
70. "Israel 'does not care about international law': Expert". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
71. "Israeli attack on Nuseirat did not take precautions to 'spare civilians': Rights expert". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 June 2024.

• 2024 airstrikes
• Airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war
• Airstrikes conducted by Israel
• June 2024 events in Asia
• Massacres committed by Israel
• 2024 massacres of the Israel–Hamas war