A new investigation conducted by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor revealed a massacre committed by the Israeli occupation army in which more than 15 Palestinians were killed and others were injured, including women, children and the elderly, in an aerial bombardment that targeted a mosque in Gaza during dawn prayers, in grave violation of the rules of international law that guarantee the protection of civilians and places of worship during armed conflicts.
Euro-Med Monitor investigated the Israeli shelling that targeted the “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 the presence of military targets, whether notables or armed elements, inside the mosque or in the surrounding area at the time of the targeting.
In the details of the investigation, Euro-Med Monitor reported that at approximately 4:45 am on Wednesday, November 16, 2023, Israeli army planes targeted Al-Hassan Mosque in the Al-Sanafoor area in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, without any prior warning, using one to two high-caliber bombs with high destructive capacity. The targeting took place during dawn prayers and as soon as worshippers began praying.
The Israeli airstrike completely destroyed the mosque, one of the largest mosques in the area, within seconds above the heads of worshippers inside, leaving only the remains of one of its entrances and the two minarets surrounding it. The attack killed all worshippers inside the mosque and the bodies of most of them were reduced to pieces.
The field team of the Euro-Med Monitor conducted a field inspection of the location of the targeted mosque near Al-Sikka Street in the “Smurfs” area of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, where it examined the extent of the massive destruction resulting from the attack. He 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, especially after the mosque was targeted.
