Al-Shifa Hospital siege

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.

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.

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”.

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.

Soldier's Square or Square of the Unknown Soldier (Arabic: ميدان الجندي المجهول Midan al-Jundi al-Majhool) is a city square in Gaza City, State of Palestine, situated along Omar Mukhtar Street in the Rimal district. It is currently a large public garden popular with unemployed Gazans during the day and promenading families in the evenings.

The Gaza Mall (Arabic: مركز غزة للتسويق) is Gaza’s first shopping mall. It opened in Gaza City, State of Palestine, on the 17th of July 2010. It is the first mall that has been opened since the 2007 Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.The air-conditioned, indoor shopping venue in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza extends over 19,000 sq. ft. There are two floors with shops offering international brands. The Independent reported that the mall was built at a cost of $1.5 million, while Agence France-Presse reported $3 million.

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.

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.

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 Gaza Governorate (Arabic: محافظة غزة, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Ġazza), also alternatively known as Gaza City Governorate, is one of the 16 Governorates of Palestine, located in the north central Gaza Strip. Gaza is claimed by the State of Palestine, but the land is under the control of Hamas, while its border with Israel, airspace and maritime territory are controlled by the IDF. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the district's population was 505,700 in 2006. All of its seats were won by Hamas members in the 2006 parliamentary elections. It is governed by Mohammed Qadoura. The governorate consists of one city, three towns and a number of refugee camps.

Palestine Stadium (Arabic: ملعب فلسطين) is located in Gaza City on the Gaza Strip. It is the national stadium and the home of Palestine national football team. The stadium's capacity is around 10,000.It was bombed by Israel on April 1, 2006, directly on the centre spot, which made the stadium unusable due to the crater formed. FIFA announced that it would fund the repair work. It was again bombed on November 19, 2012, by the Israeli Defence Force as part of Operation Pillar of Cloud. Israel said that the latest bombing was due to its use by Hamas militants to launch rockets targeting Israel. The stadium and a nearby indoor sports hall suffered major damage and resulted in football players from around the globe releasing a signed petition.As of 2019, the stadium had been repaired by FIFA and has hosted several events, both in the indoor sports halls and the outdoor field. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war the stadium would again be targeted by Israeli airstrikes leaving it inoperable as the Palestinian national team seeks to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The national team will use the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates as their new home venue.