Refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war

In the Israel–Hamas war, as part of the bombing and invasion of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes in densely populated Palestinian refugee camps in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

9–22 October
Following Israeli airstrikes on other areas of Gaza, internally displaced Gazans fled to the Jabaliya camp. At the time of the attack, the market was completely full, with customers and vendors stocking up on goods. The airstrike hit the al-Trans area of the Jabalia market, one of the most populated areas of Jabaliya. Survivors of the attack, speaking to France 24, stated that the airstrike "hit in the heart of the market", and in the immediate aftermath, there were many dead. Many of the bodies were unable to be recovered in the days following the airstrike, due to a lack of equipment.

A rescue worker speaking to the New York Times stated that the death toll was over sixty, and the entire market and surrounding buildings were destroyed. Gaza's health ministry declined to give a full estimate, but reported "dozens" of dead and wounded. Gaza's interior ministry also claimed that the airstrike initially targeted a residential building belonging to the Abu Eshkayyah family.

The Israeli government claimed that the Jabalia airstrike targeted elements of Hamas located in a mosque in the Jabalia camp.

On 12 October, a second airstrike on the Jabalia camp hit a residential building, destroying several apartments, and killing people from two families. Gaza's Interior Ministry reported 45 people were killed, and at least four others injured. Some were sheltering there after being displaced from Beit Hanoun.

On 19 October, the camp was hit by a third airstrike, killing 18 refugees. On 22 October, the camp was bombed for a fourth time during a particularly intense bombardment of Gaza. Multiple homes were bombed and at least 30 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

31 October
On 31 October, the camp was bombed again by Israeli fighter jets. The IDF said the attack was meant to target a key leader of the 7 October attacks Ibrahim Biari, as well as a "vast underground tunnel complex" beneath the camp that according to the IDF Biari was commanding operations from. Hamas denied the presence of any commander and said Israel was using these claims as an excuse for the attack.

An eyewitness interviewed by CNN spoke of "apocalyptic scenes": "'Children were carrying other injured children and running, with grey dust filling the air. Bodies were hanging on the rubble, many of them unrecognized. Some were bleeding and others were burnt. ... I saw women screaming and confused. They didn't know whether to cry for losing their children or run and look for them, especially since many children were playing in the neighborhood.'"

Atef Abu Seif, Minister of Culture of the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas and a well-known critic of Hamas, likewise spoke of "apocalyptic" scenes to Der Spiegel, saying more than 50 houses were "smashed, crushed. In each house there were dozens of people, families and relatives who had fled here from outside because their areas were bombed ... They bombed the center, the heart of the refugee camp. No place in all of Palestine is probably as densely populated as this. Now we can't even make out where which building began and ended."

Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al Shareef was on the scene, stating, "It's a massive massacre. It is hard to count the number of buildings that have been destroyed here." Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, described the scene as "absolutely horrific". More than a hundred people were reported missing beneath the rubble. The Gaza Interior Ministry stated the camp had been "completely destroyed", with preliminary estimates of about 400 wounded or dead. The director of the Indonesia Hospital reported more than 50 dead.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israeli fighter jets attacked the refugee camp. IDF spokesman Richard Hecht described civilian deaths as a tragic consequence of war and accused Hamas of using the local population as human shields, noting that civilians had been warned to move south.

1–2 November
Less than a day after the 31 October airstrike which killed at least 50 people, Jabalia was bombed again. The Civil Defense in Gaza described the airstrike as a "second massacre" which destroyed several buildings surrounding the camp and killed at least 80 people and wounded hundreds more. The IDF said the strike killed "the head of [Hamas's] anti-tank missile unit, Muhammad A'sar".

On 2 November, another airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp hit the UNRWA-sponsored Abu Hussein school, home to many displaced Gazans.

Al-Fakhoora school
On 4 November, a UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed reports that Israel had conducted another airstrike against a UN-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp. According to the Gaza health ministry, the attack on the Al-Fakhoura school killed fifteen and wounded dozens more. Reuters reported having obtained a video of a boy crying in despair: "I was standing here when three bombings happened, I carried a body and another decapitated body with my own hands. God will take my vengeance." According to UNRWA, at least one strike hit the schoolyard where displaced families had set up their tents. In response to the strike, Al Jazeera remarked Israel was "trying to eliminate all sources of survival for the civilian population to force the evacuation to the southern part of Gaza."

A second airstrike on the school occurred in the early hours of the morning on 18 November. Journalists on the scene reported dead bodies everywhere, suggesting the strike may have been an Israeli message to civilians to flee to the southern Gaza Strip. The second strike killed at least 50 people. A video clip surfacing following what has been described as a “massacre” depicts a man walking through several rooms where dozens of corpses can be seen, and distress can be heard throughout the school.

13–23 November
On 13 November, Israel bombed the camp, destroying twelve houses and killing more than 30 people. The civil defence team reported being unable to rescue injured people from the rubble due to a lack of equipment. On 14 November, Israeli airstrikes killed volleyball players Hassan Zuaiter and Ibrahim Qusaya at the camp. On 17 November, Israel hit several residential buildings, killing and wounding an unknown number. Residents and rescue workers reportedly used axes, hammers, and their bare hands to try to find survivors. On 23 November, an Israeli airstrike on the Abu Hussein School killed at least 27 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

December
On 5 December, the IDF stated they had the entire Jabalia camp surrounded. On 6 December, airstrikes on the camp reportedly intensified.

Al-Shati
On 9 October 2023, during the 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. A second strike was conducted on 12 October, killing 13 people.

The al-Gharbi mosque, Yassin mosque, and al-Sousi mosque were totally destroyed according to satellite footage, with local news reporting an unspecified number of people killed inside. The Palestinian Ministry of Health described the situation as "a massacre". Ten people were killed in an airstrike on 29 January. Two people were killed and four wounded in an airstrike on 24 February. By 6 March 2024, aerial footage showed that the Shati camp, which had been one of the world's most densely populated areas before the war, was in complete ruins. Several casualties were reported following an Israeli bombing of the camp on 22 March. Wafa reported at least four people were killed by an Israeli attack on 18 April. The government media office stated 24 were killed by an air raid on 22 June 2024.

Al-Bureij
An airstrike by Israeli forces on the Al-Bureij refugee camp on 17 October killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. On 2 November, a residential building in the camp was bombed, killing 15 people. On 5 November, residential structures in the camp were bombed again, killing at least 20 people. A drone bombing killed two people on 22 December. Four were killed in a 23 December bombing. Attacks reported intensified on 5 January 2024. A bombing on 1 March killed four people. An airstrike on 14 March killed nine people from a single family. At least two people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on 27 March, with the Palestinian Red Crescent stating it had recovered one body and three wounded people. Local media reported an Israeli strike killed four people on 31 May 2024. Three people were reportedly killed by an airstrike on 3 June 2024. The camp underwent "constant bombardment" in June 2024. Six people were killed by an Israeli bombing on 8 June 2024. Nine people were killed by an Israeli strike on the camp on 16 June. Nine people, including five children, were reportedly killed in an Israeli attack on 9 July 2024.

17 October (UNRWA school)
On 17 October 2023, an airstrike conducted by Israel Defense Forces struck a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) school in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Six people were killed by the airstrike. The UNRWA said that at least 4,000 people had taken refuge in the school since the start of the Israel–Hamas war. On 22 October, UNRWA confirmed that 29 of their staff had been killed since 7 October, half of whom were UNRWA teachers. The agency further added that as of 21 October nearly 180 civilians sheltering at UNRWA schools had been injured and 12 had been killed, while 38 UNRWA installations had been impacted by strikes since 7 October.

5 November
On 5 November 2023, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, 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, who were 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". The airstrike caused severe damage to neighboring homes and infrastructure. The Gaza Health Ministry stated that more than 30 dead people arrived in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah following the airstrike.

6 December
On 6 December, 18 were killed in an Israeli airstrike, with many believed to still be buried under rubble.

24 and 25 December
70 people were reportedly killed after Israeli airstrikes. A survivor of the attack described it as a "complete and real extermination" of the residential area. People searched for the wounded with their bare hands. The wounded were transported to the nearest hospital by wooden cart. By 25 December, the death toll had risen to 106. Seven families were taken off the civil registry after the attack, meaning every single person in that family had been killed. Residents stated they were given no evacuation orders or warning notice. On 28 December, the IDF stated the death toll was so high because they had used the "wrong type of munition." Residents continued trying to dig up victims four days after the initial strike.

28 December
At least 70 people were killed after an airstrike on 28 December.

9 January 2024
Massive strikes were reported on 9 January with Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud stating, "People are trapped in this small strip of land and waiting to die."

Nuseirat
The Nuseirat refugee camp has been bombed repeatedly.

October
On 18 October 2023, the Grand Nuseirat Mosque was bombed and destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, killing at least 30.

November
An airstrike on the 17 November was the third such strike on the area, and killed 18 people. On 21 November, Israeli forces bombed the camp again, targeting homes including those of a nurse and civil defense staff, killing at least 20 people.

December
On 3 December, at least thirteen were killed in an airstrike. At least ten were reported killed in an airstrike on 5 December. Six were reported killed in an airstrike on 6 December. Several people were reported killed on 18 December. Multiple people were reported killed after a bombing on 21 December. Israel bombed a house on 22 December with 52 family members inside, of whom 18 died. As many as twenty were reported killed following an airstrike on 29 December.

January 2024
Two died in an airstrike on 3 January 2024. A bombing on 4 January killed five people. An airstrike on 13 January killed multiple people. Seven people are killed in an airstrike on 19 January. Four people were killed on 20 January. On 24 January 2024 four children were killed in Israeli strikes targeting a residential square in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Israeli bombing destroyed a residential building in the al-Hassayna neighborhood on 25 January. Four children were reportedly killed. Eleven people were killed in an airstrike on 26 January. An unknown number of people were killed after an Israeli airstrike on a residential building on 28 January.

February 2024
Five people were killed on 13 February, including artist Alaa Qadouha. 12 people were killed by strikes on 15 February, including several children. Three people were reportedly killed by strikes on 20 February. A kamikaze drone reportedly killed and wounded several people on 21 February. Seventeen people were killed on 22 February. Several people were reported killed on 28 February.

March 2024
A strike on 3 March wounded more than 40 people and ten people killed. Al Jazeera released a photo series of people wounded by a 5 March Israeli airstrike. Ten people were killed following an airstrike on a residential block on 9 March. The death count was revised to 13, with one survivor stating, "There is nothing called the international court or international humanitarian law. All of these are just lies. All these names were created to back the strong against the weak; the oppressor against the oppressed." Eight people were killed in an attack on an aid warehouse on 14 March. Wounded people, including children, were taken to the Al-Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli airstrike on 15 March.

36 people were killed in an airstrike overnight on 16 March, with seven killed in another airstrike in the morning. Two were killed in an airstrike on 17 March. Nine were killed in an airstrike on 18 March. At least 27 people were killed in an attack on 19 March. Nine people were killed in an airstrike on 21 March.

April 2024
Video verified by Al Jazeera English showed recordings of "the sounds of children crying" seeming to come from an Israeli quadcopter plane, with residents stating it was an attempt to "lure civilians and kill them". On 21 April 2024, seven civilians were reported killed by an Israeli air raid. On 24 April, four people were reportedly killed by a bombing near a school in the camp. Three people were reportedly killed by an airstrike on 27 April. At least six Palestinians have been reported killed, including four children on 3 May. In late-April, witnesses again stated the IDF was "using drones that release the sounds of children and women calling for help. When people attempt to rescue them, they are attacked."

May 2024
20 people were reportedly killed by an Israeli attack on 14 May. The Palestinian Civil Defence stated 31 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on 19 May. 10 people were reported killed by a bomb on 22 May. Eight were reportedly killed by an Israeli bombing on 23 May. Four people were reportedly killed on 25 May. Three Gaza police officers were killed in an air raid on 26 May. Local media reported three people were killed in an apparently targeted airstrike on 31 May.

June 2024
Four people were killed by an airstrike on 2 June. On 6 June, an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp hit the UNRWA-run al-Sardi school that was sheltering displaced Palestinian refugees, killing more than 30 people, including 23 women and children. 17 people were killed in strikes on both Nuseirat and Bureij on 18 June.

Shaboura
At least twenty were reported dead on an airstrike on one family's home in the Shaboura refugee camp on 7 December. On 14 December, rescuers dug by hand for survivors after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in the camp.

Jenin
On 22 October 2023, an airstrike conducted by Israel Defense Forces struck the Al-Ansar Mosque located in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, causing extensive damage to the mosque, killing two people and injuring three more. Three people were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on 20 March 2024.

Nur Shams
At least 6 people were killed in an Israeli bombing of Nur Shams refugee camp on 27 December 2023. An Israeli drone bombed the al-Manshiyya neighborhood in the Nur Shams camp on 20 March 2024. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated four people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on 2 July 2024.

Reactions
In response to an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat camp on 14 March 2024, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack, stating, "This reprehensible act of aggression against innocent civilians underscores the flagrant disregard for human rights and international law by the Israeli authorities". In June 2024, OHCHR condemned several Israeli attacks on refugee camps in Gaza, stating, "These attacks also appear to be disproportionate in that they would be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated."