Al-Shati refugee camp airstrikes

Al-Shati (Arabic: مخيم الشاطئ), also known as Shati or Beach camp, is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the northern Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea coastline in the Gaza Governorate, and more specifically Gaza City. Al-Shati was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from the cities of Jaffa, Lod and Beersheba as well as surrounding villages during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The camp's total land area consists of 520 dunums.According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), al-Shati had a population of 40,734 inhabitants in 2017. As of July 2023, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports a population of 90,173 registered refugees. The camp is the third largest refugee camp in the Palestinian Territories. The camp is currently under the control of the IDF.

Madinat al-Awda (Arabic: مَدينَة العودة) is a Palestinian village in the Gaza Governorate located in the northwestern suburbs of Gaza City along the Mediterranean coast and between al-Shati Camp and al-Atatra. Its population in the 1997 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census was 420, rising to 590 in 2006. It is administered by a local development committee under the Palestinian National Authority.

Rimal or Remal (Arabic: حي الرمال, lit. 'sands') is a neighborhood in Gaza City located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it was considered the most prosperous neighborhood of Gaza. The main street that runs through Gaza, Omar Mukhtar Street runs northwest–southeast in the district and the main coastal road, Ahmad Orabi/Rasheed Street northeast-southwest. Rimal is divided into the city districts of southern Rimal and northern Rimal. The neighborhood is the site of multiple government ministries and has been severely damaged during the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Al-Shifa Hospital (Arabic: مستشفى الشفاء Mustašfā š-Šifāʾ [musˈtaʃ.fa‿ʃ.ʃiˈfaːʔ]) is the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, located in the neighborhood of northern Rimal in Gaza City. Originally a British Army barracks, the site was transformed into a healthcare facility, the Dar al-Shifa or "house of healing", by the government of Mandatory Palestine in 1946. The hospital was expanded during the Egyptian and later Israeli occupations during the 1980s. In the 21st-century, the hospital has been prominent during the Gaza–Israel conflict. During the Gaza War (2008–2009), much of the media coverage came from correspondents reporting from the hospital. During the 2014 Gaza war, Amnesty International reported that Hamas was using abandoned areas of the hospital grounds for detaining and torturing alleged Palestinian collaborators. Norwegian doctors Erik Fosse and Mads Gilbert, who were working at the hospital, stated that they did not see any evidence of military activity at the hospital during the war.On 7 October 2023, the day of the 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas brought two hostages, one of them wounded, to the hospital. The hospital was raided on 15 November 2023 by Israeli forces, which reported finding some light munitions in the hospital, though some media analyses have found evidence Israel added weapons to the scene for the camera. The raid was widely criticized by governments, United Nations agencies and aid organisations, with the head of the World Health Organization calling it "totally unacceptable". Israel has been accused by several news outlets of waging a propaganda war regarding al-Shifa, and medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies. Later a shaft was found on the perimeter of the hospital, and various experts confirmed that it was similar to other militant tunnels. Multiple sources state that bunkers were built in the 1980s by Israel during the construction of the hospital while some sources report that the construction also included tunnels. A France24 investigation concluded that the images and videos of the tunnels published by the IDF were consistent with Hamas built tunnels.During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Israel and the United States said that a vast complex existed under the hospital that was being used by Hamas as its "main operations base", which Hamas and hospital administrators denied. Following Israel's release of video evidence on 22 November, multiple news agencies concluded that the evidence did not demonstrate the use by Hamas of a command center. The New York Times also said the evidence did not show conclusive evidence of a vast network of tunnels, while Haaretz concluded that Hamas did use the hospital for military purposes. Amnesty International said on 23 November 2023 that "Amnesty International has so far not seen any credible evidence to support Israel’s claim that al-Shifa is housing a military command centre" and that "the Israeli military has so far failed to provide credible evidence" for the allegation. The Washington Post concluded that the evidence presented by Israel falls short of corroborating its claims, finding, for example, that there was no evidence the tunnels could be accessed from the hospital or vice-versa. On January 2, 2024, U.S. intelligence doubled down on its claim that Hamas used the Al-Shifa Hospital as a command center and to hold Israeli hostages, but did not provide any evidence thereof.

On 3 November 2023, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and siege of Gaza City, an Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance convoy departing from al-Shifa Hospital carrying critically injured patients. The strike killed 15 people and wounded 60. The Palestine Red Crescent Society, which was part of the convoy, said that all 15 casualties were civilians. The airstrike also caused damage to the hospital itself. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged that it carried out the airstrike, and said that Hamas militants were killed in the attack and that one of the ambulances was being used to transport Hamas personnel and weaponry. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas government, denied any military use of the ambulances. Human Rights Watch said it "did not find evidence that the ambulance was being used for military purposes". The Washington Post analyzed the videos and found no evidence of weapons or individuals in military clothing. The airstrike was condemned by the World Health Organization, while Human Rights Watch labelled the incident "apparently unlawful" and called for the attack to be investigated as a potential war crime.

Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, was placed under siege by Israel in mid-November 2023 during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, after claiming it had contained a Hamas command and control center beneath it. On 11 November, the hospital was completely encircled, cutting it off from the rest of Gaza City, which contained 1,500 patients, along with 1,500 medical workers and some 15,000 displaced people seeking shelter in the hospital according to Gazan health officials. Israel and the United States alleged that below the hospital Hamas maintained command centers. Both the hospital's administration and Hamas denied that, the former asked the international community to send security experts to verify the Israeli allegations.On 15 November, Israeli forces entered the hospital, with the Israeli military claiming it had discovered a Hamas command centre. BBC News and CNN reported that the Israeli army had rearranged, or even added, weapons for the media tour; and that an Israeli video showing the alleged discoveries had been edited. NBC News said that Israel released several pieces of inaccurate or disputed information, which weakened Israel's credibility. According to Al Jazeera, Israel was accused of fabricating evidence. On 22 November, Israel published video showing multiple tunnels beneath the hospital; the Wall Street Journal and the Guardian reported that this fell short of the original command center claims. Israel published surveillance footage taken by the hospital's cameras, appearing to show two hostages being taken into the hospital. The Guardian reported that Hamas had previously publicized taking hostages to receive medical treatment. On 21 December, the Washington Post published analysis concluding that the hospital buildings in question were not actually connected to the tunnels. On 2 January 2024, the United States released newly declassified documents showing that its spy agencies continued to believe that the hospital had been used as a command and control centre, and the following day Israel announced that it had dismantled a tunnel beneath the hospital. However, news reports the next day said that that both Israeli and US statements are not considered as conclusive proof of Hamas use of al-Shifa.The raid on the hospital and Israel's limited findings of military infrastructure led to international criticism, including by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk who called for an independent investigation. International law prohibits the targeting of hospitals unless used for a military purpose that is "harmful to the enemy", as well as the use of human shields for combatants; both constitute war crimes. Israel has been accused of waging a propaganda war to detract from accusations that its actions at al-Shifa constitute violations of international law, and medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies. The head of the World Health Organization said, "hospitals are not battlegrounds," and that Israel's action was "totally unacceptable."

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR, Arabic: المركز الفلسطيني لحقوق الإنسان) is a Palestinian human rights organization based in Gaza City. It was founded in 1995 by Raji Sourani, who is its director. It was established by a group of Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists and receives funding from governmental, non-governmental, and religious sources.The PCHR was set up in April 1995 to monitor and document the practices of Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip, and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The PCHR describes its objective as to monitor and document “human rights violation committed by the Israeli military forces and other abuses associated with Israel’s continuing legal and absolute occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

The Holy Family Church (Arabic: كنيسة العائلة المقدسة) of Gaza City is the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, State of Palestine. The parish includes a school which provides a Christian education to children in Gaza, and it works closely with the nearby religious congregations of the Missionaries of Charity, Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, and the Rosary Sisters. The Missionaries of Charity care for the elderly and disabled, and the Rosary Sisters operate a school. The community is served by priests from the Institute of the Incarnate Word.

On 16 December 2023, two Palestinian Christians, Naheda Anton and her daughter Samr Anton, were shot and killed while walking inside the grounds of the Holy Family Church to go to the bathroom during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said: “Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the Sister’s Convent. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety. Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound. No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents.” Hamas and the Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed the women.Al Jazeera said others died after Israeli troops prevented medical aid reaching the wounded. The pair were part of a large group of civilians, including other Palestinian Christians, that had been taking refuge in the church. The sister of one of the civilians told the BBC that those in the church were scared to leave for fear of being shot at, adding that "they believed the Israelis were shooting anything that moves". Reportedly IDF bombs have leveled most of the buildings around the church, and many have reported Israeli tanks and snipers in the surviving buildings overlooking the compound. The churches generators were destroyed due to the bombs, along with their solar panels, water tanks and fuel resources.The Patriarchate said that earlier in the morning, an Israeli airstrike hit the Missionaries of Charity convent, which housed 54 disabled people; the rocket attack caused a large explosion and displaced all of the residents.The Israeli military said it had not targeted the church and that church representatives had not mentioned an attack or civilian deaths when they spoke to the IDF on 16 December. Following an investigation, the IDF said that Hamas had fired an RPG from the vicinity of the church, and that IDF soldiers had fired back and hit Hamas spotters.

Israa University (also Isra University, al-Israa University or al-Isra University) was a university in Gaza Strip created in 2014. Its main building was occupied for 70 days and physically destroyed by explosives on 17 January 2024 by Israeli armed forces, during the Israel–Hamas war.

The As-Sadaka is a 50m swimming pool in the Gaza Strip. It was inaugurated in May 2010. The pool belongs to the as-Sadaka ('Friendship') Athletic Club, and its construction was sponsored by the Islamic Society. The swimming team of as-Sadaka Athletic Clubs hold several gold and silver medals from Palestinian swimming competitions.

The Rashad Shawa Cultural Center was a cultural center built in 1985, in Rimal, Gaza, State of Palestine. The place was named after its founder Rashad al-Shawa, the city's Palestinian mayor who served in office for 11 years. The building was completed 1988, formally opened in 1992, and destroyed by Israel in 2023.