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Al-Hassan Mosque Massacre: Euro-Med Investigation Reveals Israeli Army Killed Over 15 Palestinians During Dawn Prayers in Gaza
Al-Hassan Mosque in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, and the damaged house next to it after the Israeli attack (Photo: Euro-Med Monitor Team)
December 19, 2024 Israel-Palestinian Territories Share on EN
Palestinian Territories – A new investigation by the Euro-Med Monitor for Human Rights has revealed a massacre committed by the Israeli occupation army, in which more than 15 Palestinians were killed and others wounded, including women, children, and the elderly, in an airstrike that targeted a mosque in Gaza during dawn prayers. This constitutes a grave violation of international law, which guarantees the protection of civilians and places of worship during armed conflicts.
The Euro-Med Monitor investigated the Israeli bombing of Al-Hassan Mosque in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City during dawn prayers on November 16, 2023, and concluded that no evidence was found of any military targets, whether civilian or armed personnel, inside the mosque or in the surrounding area at the time of the attack.
In its investigation, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported that at approximately 4:45 AM on Wednesday, November 16, 2023, Israeli warplanes targeted Al-Hassan Mosque in the Al-Sanafour area of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, without any prior warning, using one or two heavy bombs with high destructive power. The attack occurred during the Fajr (dawn) prayer, just as the worshippers had begun praying.
As a result of the Israeli airstrike, the mosque, one of the largest in the area, was completely destroyed within seconds, burying the worshippers inside. Only the remains of one of its entrances and the two surrounding minarets remained. The attack killed all the worshippers inside the mosque, and most of their bodies were torn to pieces.
We found no trace of anyone who was inside the mosque at the time. They were all torn to pieces, with no trace of anyone else.
Ezzedine Maher Karim, 18, a resident of the targeted area and the son of one of the victims.
The attack also left victims and people with varying degrees of injuries in a house adjacent to the mosque. In addition, several sheds near the mosque, used as car washes, auto repair shops, and carpentry workshops, were destroyed. The attack also caused damage to residential buildings and other structures surrounding the mosque in the area.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor's field team conducted a site visit to the targeted mosque near Al-Sikka Street in the Al-Sanafour area of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, where they witnessed the massive destruction caused by the attack. They also interviewed six witnesses from the area and relatives of the victims who remained in the neighborhood after most of its residents were forcibly displaced, particularly following the attack on the mosque.
Ezz El-Din Maher Karim, 18, a resident of the area surrounding the mosque in the Tuffah neighborhood and the son of one of the massacre victims, told the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor that when they entered the mosque after the Israeli bombing, “we found no trace of anyone who had been inside at the time. They were all torn to pieces, and there was no sign of anyone.”
As part of its investigation into the Israeli military attack on Al-Hassan Mosque in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City on the morning of November 16, 2023, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor adopted its standard methodology, outlined above, and began collecting preliminary data related to the incident. Euro-Mediterranean field teams went to the site of the attack to inspect it, document the human and material damage, and verify the presence of any military presence or armed activity in the area at the time of the attack.
The field team conducted personal interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, including testimonies from six residents of the area and relatives of the victims who remained in the neighborhood, despite the forced displacement of most of the population after the mosque was targeted. The names of the dead and wounded were also documented.
In addition to field visits to the site of the attack and collecting testimonies from survivors and eyewitnesses, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor team analyzed videos and photographs documenting the aftermath of the attack and the crime scene, as well as satellite images showing the extensive damage inflicted on the site before and after the attack.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor was able to verify the identities of 10 of the dead, including a child, a woman, and eight men, two of whom were elderly. The identities of some of the victims remain unknown, as their bodies were torn to pieces or remain buried under the rubble.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor emphasized that the Israeli attack on the mosque was not justified by any military necessity whatsoever. The occupying army has not even offered any explanation or justification for this crime. The Monitor stressed that it constitutes, in all circumstances, a flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and taking necessary precautions—fundamental rules that Israel must adhere to absolutely at all times without exception.
This attack thus constitutes a series of fully-fledged war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army against civilians protected under international humanitarian law, and against a place of worship, which is considered a civilian object whose protection is guaranteed by this law.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor explained that this crime, which directly targeted civilians with killing and injury, also constitutes a crime against humanity, given that it occurred within the context of a large-scale and systematic military offensive launched by Israel against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip for over a year. Furthermore, this massacre is also considered an act of genocide perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 7th of last year, with the aim of destroying them as such.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor teams faced several challenges during the investigation, most notably security risks that hindered repeated access to the targeted area and on-the-ground communication with witnesses. Nevertheless, the teams made concerted efforts to document the incident using alternative verification tools and methods to ensure accurate documentation of the attack.
Based on investigations conducted by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in accordance with international legal standards, the Monitor calls for independent and impartial international investigations to complement efforts aimed at ensuring accountability for crimes committed against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor affirms its readiness to support these investigations by providing the evidence and testimonies it has collected and analyzed, thereby contributing to efforts to achieve justice, hold those responsible for these violations accountable, and guarantee the rights of victims.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor reiterates its call to the international community to fulfill its international legal obligations by working to stop the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, using all available means. Preventing and punishing this crime is an international legal obligation incumbent upon all states, without exception, and is an absolute obligation binding upon all. The Monitor also calls for ensuring the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from all of the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip, and the dismantling of all Israeli military bases, barriers, and checkpoints.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor also calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate all crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, including the massacre at Al-Hassan Mosque, as well as the thousands of other massacres perpetrated by the Israeli army in the Strip. It further urges the Court to expand its investigation into individual criminal responsibility for these crimes to include all those responsible and to expedite the issuance of arrest warrants against them all.
To download the full report, click here.