Battle of Shuja'iyya (2023)

For the other battle with the same name, see Battle of Shuja'iyya.

Battle of Shuja'iyya
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Date 4–26 December 2023 (3 weeks and 1 day) Location Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Palestine Territorial changes Israeli withdrawal [1] [2]
Belligerents
Israel	Hamas   Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Commanders and leaders
Yitzhak Ben-Bashat   † Tomer Greenberg   † [3]	Amad Abdullah Ali Qariqa [4] Wissam Farhat   †
Units involved
Israel Defense Forces Golani Brigade	Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades [[File:|23x17px|border |alt=|link=]]  Al-Quds Brigades Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades
Casualties and losses
16 soldiers killed [5] [6] 1 Namer destroyed	Per Israel: [5] 935+ fighters killed
1,000+ Palestinian civilians killed 3 Israeli civilians killed

During the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Shuja'iyya was the last district in Gaza City that had not been subject to an Israeli ground invasion, and as a result many Palestinians who had not been able to evacuate south had sought refuge in the district. Despite this, the Israel Defense Forces had shelled and bombarded Shuja'iyya for weeks before invading on December 4. On the 26th of December, Israel withdrew from Shuja'iyya, announcing that the local Hamas battalion had been defeated. Despite this, militants continued to attack Israel forces within the town until Israeli forces eventually withdrew.

Background

Shuja'iyya is one of the largest and most densely populated neighborhoods in Gaza, holding 92,000 people. ^[7] As a result of Israeli forces invading south Gaza city, many Palestinians had sought refuge in the neighbourhood, causing rising concerns of civilian casualties if Israel were to expand its invasion into the neighbourhood. ^[8]

Battle

On December 4, Israel launched an invasion of Shuja'iyya, advancing from the southern Gaza city after subjecting it to a massive bombardment campaign leaving most of the district in ruins. ^[9]

Palestinian militant groups led by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades confronted Israeli forces on the 6th of December. The paramilitaries took advantage of the environment created by Israeli bombardment and relied on dense buildings to weave throughout the district instead of relying on tunnels, setting the stage for a major urban battle.

During early confrontations, the Qassam Brigades attacked vehicles penetrating into Shuja'iyya, armed with AK-47 and Al-Yassin 105 tandem charge rockets. The packed buildings and tight streets allowed the brigades to approach vehicles at very close distances and fire in rapid succession before hopping between buildings for cover. Infamously, after an Achzarit was destroyed and ignited, a militant stood in front of it and took a selfie. ^[10]

As Israeli forces pushed into the district, reconnaissance published footage of Qassam Brigades militants using buildings as hideouts, including crawling on the floors to avoid detection. ^[11]

Fighting had become more intense, with the Qassam Brigades utilising dense urban landscape, allowing them in some instances to approach tanks and fire at them from mere metres away, as well as pelting Israeli forces with grenades thrown out of windows.

On December 13, the Qassam Brigades lured four soldiers into a coordinated ambush, and then launched successive attacks on Israeli forces sent to rescue those wounded, including collapsing the rigged building on top of them. The IDF admitted that 10 soldiers had been killed in the ambush, including two high-ranking officers. ^[12]

By December 21, Israeli forces claimed they had “operational control” of Shuja'iyya, however the combat did not cease and a significant militant presence continued to attack Israeli soldiers throughout the district. ^[13]

Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants of the Al-Quds Brigades set up sniper posts on high-rise structures, jumping between the windows of multi-story high buildings to navigate positions throughout the district. The Qassam Brigades located several Israeli soldiers positioned in buildings and outposts and harassed them, eroding morale and security. ^{[14] [15]}

On December 26, Israeli forces had retreated from Shuja'iyya, following an incomplete operation that allowed the Palestinian militants to retain control of the town and launch attacks on Israeli soldiers from the area. ^[16]

Aftermath

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor assumes that 1,000 Palestinian civilians were killed in the battle, however due to the extent of destruction and no retrieval of bodies underway in Gaza, the civilian death toll could be much higher. Additionally, three Israeli hostages in Shuja'iyya had been accidentally killed by the Israeli Defense Forces.

Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, civilians have attempted to repopulate Shuja'iyya but struggle as much of the district lies under rubble, alongside the Israeli siege of Gaza City, and complete destruction of infrastructure by Israeli bombardment.

References

1. "نباشر".
2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-targeting-hamas-in-central-gaza-battling-terror-groups-al-bureij-battalion/
3. "Gaza: Israeli commanders among nine soldiers killed in Hamas ambush". The Guardian.
4. Brian Carter (8 December 2023). "The Order of Battle of Hamas' Izz al Din al Qassem Brigades, Part 1: North and Central Gaza". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
5. אוגדה 36 נכנסה לאל-בורייג' במרכז הרצועה; כ-900 מחבלים חוסלו בשג'אעיה | תמונת מצב
6. "Ambush, Loss of Contact, Abduction Scare | Behind the Battle That Claimed Nine Israeli Soldiers in Northern Gaza Strip". Haaretz.
7. Report of the detailed findings of the Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict, ohchr.org (United Nations A/HRC/29/CRP.4), 22 June 2015, pp. 70-79 paragraphs 251-299.
8. Mushtaha, Mahmoud (16 March 2024). "'We scream, starve, and die alone': Life in the ruins of Shuja'iya". +972 Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
9. "Gaza witnesses bloodiest day yet of Israeli massacres". ReliefWeb. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
10. "شاهد.. القسام تدمر عددا من آليات الاحتلال في الشجاعية شمالي غزة" [Watch... Al-Qassam destroys a number of occupation vehicles in Shujaiya, north of Gaza]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
11. "IDF plans to neutralise Hamas from Shuja'iyya, Gaza: Here's how". The Economic Times. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
12. "IDF announces death of 10 soldiers, raising toll of Gaza ground op to 115". i24NEWS. 13 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
13. Lappin, Yaakov (21 December 2023). "IDF declares operational control of Hamas stronghold Shuja'iyya". Jewish National Syndicate. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
14. "سرايا القدس تنشر مقطع فيديو لقنص جنود إسرائيليين شرق الشجاعية" [Al-Quds Brigades publishes a video clip of Israeli soldiers sniping east of Shuja'iyya]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 23 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
15. "مشاهد حصرية لتدمير القسام آليات إسرائيلية واستهداف جنود غولاني بالشجاعية" [Exclusive scenes of Al-Qassam destroying Israeli vehicles and targeting Golani soldiers in Shuja'iyya]. Al-Jazeera (in Arabic). 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
16. ""مربعات سكنية مدمرة بالكامل".. صور ترصد حجم الخراب في حي الشجاعية بعد انسحاب القوات الإسرائيلية (فيديو)" [“Completely destroyed residential blocks...” Pictures show the extent of the devastation in the Shujaiya neighborhood after the withdrawal of Israeli forces (video)]. Al Jazeera Mubasher (in Arabic). 26 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.