13 July 2024 Al-Mawasi airstrikes

On 13 July 2024, Israeli airstrikes attacked an alleged fenced operational area, run by Hamas, in the western outskirts of Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. The strike was an alleged attempt to assassinate the military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, as well as Rafa Salama. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 90 Palestinians were killed, while at least another 300 were injured.

July 2024 Al-Mawasi airstrikes
Part of the Israel–Hamas war and Rafah offensive
Al-Mawasi
Location	Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip
Date	13 July 2024
Target	Attempted assassination of Mohammed Deif and Rafi Salama (per IDF)
Attack type	Airstrikes, massacre
Deaths	90
Injured	300
Perpetrator	Israeli Air Force

Background

During the Israel–Hamas war, many civilians in Gaza Strip were ordered to evacuate to humanitarian safe zones. Although the Israel Defense Forces had declared in December 2023 a humanitarian safe zone in Al-Mawasi, other parts of it been bombed since. In the weeks preceding the attacks, Israel had expanded the "safe zone" to include parts of Khan Yunis, causing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to take shelter in Al-Mawasi, on the orders of the IDF. A top target for the IDF and allegedly one of the masterminds behind the 7 October attacks, Mohammed Deif is known for escaping and surviving several assassination attempts by Israel.

Airstrikes

According to a Palestinian civil defence spokesperson, the Israeli attack targeted several tents housing displaced Palestinians as well as a separate house located some distance away. The IDF said that it struck a Hamas-occupied building in a civilian environment not a tent camp. According to Al Jazeera, big warplanes hit Al-Mawasi with five bombs and five missiles. Eyewitnesses reported that the site of the airstrike looked like an "earthquake" had hit. A correspondent for The New Arab reported that Israeli airstrikes also targeted rescue teams as they attempted to help wounded victims, killing some rescuers. According to Medical Aid for Palestinians, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is "overwhelmed" and unable to take in the large numbers of wounded patients.

Aftermath and death toll

The PRCS said that its ambulance crews have attended to 102 injured patients and recovered 23 bodies after the attack, 20 of the wounded and 21 bodies were transferred to the Red Crescent’s al-Quds Field Hospital, and 22 of the injured were transferred to al-Amal Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said that after the attack, squadrons of quadcopter aircraft that waited for the ambulance and civil defence teams and opened fire as soon as they arrived.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that there were at least 90 dead and at least 300 wounded in what it called a "brutal massacre by the occupation". According to Hamas spokesperson Abu Zhuri, all those killed were civilians.

Two Palestinian Civil Defence members were killed by the attack.

The IDF said that it was in the process of verifying whether Mohammed Deif was killed in the airstrikes. According to the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, Rafa Salama was killed in the strike while Deif was seriously wounded.

Reactions

Domestic

• Israel: The Israel Defense Forces said Mohammed Deif and the commander of Hamas in Khan Younis were in the compound. The IDF stated: "Our attack in Mawasi Khan Yunis targets Al-Deif, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, Rafi Salama, and other Hamas activists". It has also claimed that it acted on "precise intelligence" to hit an area where "two senior Hamas terrorists" were hiding.
• Hamas: Hamas dismissed the IDF's claims that it had killed Mohammed Deif, labeling them as "false allegations" that aimed to "cover up the scale of the horrific massacre". Hamas also stated that "It is not the first time Israel claims to target Palestinian leaders, only to be proven false later". In a statement, Hamas announced: "The al-Mawasi massacre in Khan Younis has been committed against an area that is crowded with more than 80,000 displaced people. This is an obvious and clear confirmation from the Zionist government that it will continuing its war of extermination against our Palestinian people, through repeatedly and systematically targeting the defenceless displaced civilians in tents, shelters and residential neighbourhoods". The group made a statement on Telegram calling for the Palestinians of the West Bank and East Jerusalem to "mobilize" in response to the strike.
• Palestine: Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority said that US bears responsibility for Israel's actions, also stated that "The massacre in al-Mawasi is a continuation of the genocidal war against our people". Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has condemned Israel's "genocidal crimes" in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel and the US were responsible for the attack on al-Mawasi.
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad: the movement condemned the attack, stating that "The horrific massacre committed by the Zionist entity in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis is an insistence on continuing the war of extermination against our people,"

International

• Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called the attacks "unacceptable".

• Colombia: President Gustavo Petro stated that he was outraged after the attack on X.
• Egypt: The Foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack.
• European Union: Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for "access to independent investigations and accountability".
• Gulf Cooperation Council: Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has condemned the attack, saying that the raid was "evidence of the series of systematic and ongoing Israeli crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people".
• Hezbollah: Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said: "Today, the occupation carried out a large massacre against displaced people in al-Mawasi in Khan Younis. Then it justified it by saying it wanted to target [Hamas] leaders," further saying "Are there worse injustices and oppression in the world?"
• Houthi movement: The group condemned the attack, calling Israel's leaders "war criminals" and stated that "The enemy's false claims about targeting leaders in the Palestinian resistance cannot cover up the ugliness of its crimes,".
• Iran: Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry condemned the attack, stating on X that the attack was the "latest crime in the series of crimes committed by the child-killing Zionist regime".
• Jordan: Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah condemned the attack.
• Malaysia: The foreign ministry condemned the attack, stating that "This heinous and appalling attack, which took place inside an area Israel designated itself as a safe zone for Palestinians, is a flagrant disregard for all human life,".
• Oman: The country called the attack "an explicit act of terrorism and new evidence of the policy of deliberate extermination… towards the Palestinian people".
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation: The organization strongly condemned Israel's "heinous massacres" in al-Mawasi as well as in Khan Younis and the Shati refugee camp, saying that it considers the attacks an "extension of the crime of genocide that the Israeli occupation continues to commit against Palestinian civilians, in blatant defiance of" the ICJ.
• Qatar: The country calls the attack "a brutal and shocking massacre, and a new incident to be added to the ongoing series of occupation crimes against the Palestinian people and all of humanity", the foreign ministry calls for an international action against Israel.
• Saudi Arabia: The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and called for "activating international accountability mechanisms" against Israel.
• Turkey: The ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack "a phase of the Netanyahu government’s effort to annihilate the Palestinians entirely", stating that all countries should stop Israel's "barbarism".
• United Arab Emirates: The country denounced Israeli abuses in Gaza, including "the most recent targeting of camps for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, which led to numerous deaths and injuries to dozens of innocent civilians".
• United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "shocked and saddened" by the Israeli attack.

Other groups

• ActionAid: the humanitarian group condemned the attack.
• Council on American–Islamic Relations: The group calls for the end of US support on Israel.
• Islamic Relief: The charity organization condemned the "brutal killing and wounding of hundreds of civilians".
• Médecins Sans Frontières: Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, the deputy medical coordinator stated "I have never seen a mass casualty event like [Saturday],".
• Medical Aid for Palestinians: The UK-based charity organization calls for the British government to "act urgently to suspend arms sales to Israel and prevent further atrocities".
• Oxfam: The UK-based organization condemned the attack.
• UNICEF: Chief Catherine Russell stated that "Children must be protected. Hostages must be released. The suffering must end," after the attack.
• UNRWA: Chief Philippe Lazzarini quoted a Palestinian mother that lost her 8-year-old child and had another one injured by the attack, she further stated that "Yesterday's attack and the mass casualties are a stark reminder that no one is safe in Gaza, wherever they are".

Protests

Israeli demonstrations erupted in Jerusalem condemning the attack which was called an "unfortunate event" by some demonstrators which called for a ceasefire and a hostage deal.

Hundreds of Palestinian protested in the West Bank against Israel's attacks on Al-Mawasi and Al-Shati camp which killed at least 22 people, protests were held in the cities of Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron and Tubas.