Al-Mawasi, Rafah
Al-Mawasi | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | المواصي |
  Al-Mawasi Location of Al-Mawasi within Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°19′44″N 34°13′48″E / 31.32889°N 34.23000°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Rafah |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 1,400 |
Al-Mawasi (Arabic: المواصي) is a Palestinian Bedouin town on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, approximately one kilometer wide and fourteen kilometers long, that prior to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005 existed as a Palestinian enclave within the Katif bloc of Israeli settlements. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Mawasi had a population of 1,409 in mid-year 2006.
In December 2023, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces had designated Al-Mawasi as one of the only safe areas in the Gaza Strip.[1] Hundreds of thousands of people had fled there, and found only a barren strip of land with no basic resources such as food, water, or sanitation.[2] In February 2024, as the IDF announced plans to expand operations into Rafah where hundreds of thousands had come to as a last refuge, Israeli authorities called Al-Mawasi a "safer zone".[3] In an interview with Channel 4 News, Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levi, when pressed to confirm if civilians displaced northwards once more would be safe from further bombardment, stated that "it will not be safe" until Gaza was free from Hamas.[4]
Two days after the Tel al-Sultan massacre by Israel, in which 45 people were killed, Palestinian officials said Israel attacked al-Mawasi, killing 21 people including 12 women.[5] Israel denied attacking the area. The New York Times published a video of the aftermath of the attack on Al-Mawasi.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Stack, Liam; Bayoumy, Lara (6 December 2023). "Gazans Find Scant Aid at Village Where They Were Advised to Relocate". The New York Times.
- ^ Zhou, Li (2023-12-06). "An "apocalyptic" humanitarian situation in Gaza is only getting worse". Vox. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
- ^ Berger, Miriam; Loveluck, Louisa. "Panic mounts in Rafah over looming Israeli offensive after night strikes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Until Gaza is free from Hamas 'it will not be safe', says Israeli government spokesman". Channel 4 News. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "At least 21 killed in Israeli attacks on tent camp near Gaza's Rafah". Al Jazeera. 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Video: Strike Kills Displaced Gazans in Al-Mawasi, Officials Say". The New York Times. 28 May 2024.
Video says "Al-Mawasi, Gaza, May 28" starting at the 0:02 mark.
External links
[edit]- UNICEF Brings Critical Supplies to the Isolated Children of Al-Mawasi
- Al-Mawasi, Gaza Strip: Impossible Life in an Isolated Enclave B'Tselem publication
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