Khan Younis Training Centre Massacre 2024: Shells on a UN Shelter

On 24 January 2024, during the genocidal war on Gaza, two tank shells hit a building in UNRWA’s Khan Younis Training Centre, known locally as “Sina’at al-Wakala,” where about 800 displaced people were sheltering. Fire broke out; at least 13 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded. [1] [2] [3]

UNRWA had given the occupation authorities the centre’s coordinates, and it called the shelling “a clear disregard for the basic rules of war.” [4] It is one of the Zionist massacres against the Palestinian people.

The Khan Younis Training Centre massacre at a glance

UNRWA’s largest shelter in the south

During the war the Khan Younis Training Centre, known locally as “Sina’at al-Wakala,” became UNRWA’s largest shelter in the south of the Gaza Strip. [4] Some 43,000 people were registered there according to OCHA, and UNRWA said it was sheltering about 30,000 on the eve of the massacre. [2] [4]

Many had fled there from the north and centre of the Strip after the occupation declared Khan Younis a “safe zone.” Then on 22 January the occupation army launched a large operation in Khan Younis and ordered more than half a million residents and displaced people to leave. [1]

The massacre: two shells on a crowded workshop

Two days into the siege, with the displaced trapped inside the centre, two tank shells hit a workshop building where about 800 people were sheltering, setting it ablaze. [1] [2] Thomas White, UNRWA’s director of affairs in Gaza, said: “Safe access to and from the centre has been difficult for two days; people are trapped.” [1]

Nahed Tanteesh, displaced to the centre three months earlier, was hit by shrapnel under his left eye: “It felt like my head burst.” His son Abdullah said: “For six or seven hours there was shooting and explosions.” [3]

UNRWA and WHO teams evacuated 45 patients, 15 of them critical, but could not evacuate all the wounded because of intense fighting, and one patient died on the way. [2]

The toll: what do the sources say?

The occupation’s denial

The occupation army denied the strike resulted from its air or artillery fire and claimed it was “examining” whether Hamas was responsible. [3] [2] But UNRWA said two tank shells hit the building, in an area encircled by occupation tanks. [1]

Thomas White said the worsening situation in Khan Younis reflected a consistent failure to respect international humanitarian law and called for hostilities to stop. [3]

The siege of Khan Younis and forced evacuation

The massacre was part of the siege of Khan Younis. The occupation isolated and besieged Nasser Medical Complex, and surrounded al-Amal Hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent headquarters. [2] [1]

Two days after the massacre, the occupation army ordered the displaced in the centre to leave on foot before 5 p.m. on Friday 26 January. More than 50 vehicles and tanks gathered around the centre, and the army set up checkpoints on routes it called “safe.” [4]

Conclusion

Thousands of displaced people took refuge in the UN’s largest shelter in southern Gaza, in a city the occupation had declared “safe,” whose coordinates UNRWA had given the occupation army. Then tanks besieged the centre and two shells fell on a workshop crowded with displaced people, killing at least 13. Two days later the survivors were forced to leave on foot through occupation checkpoints.

Frequently asked questions about the Khan Younis Training Centre massacre

When did the Khan Younis Training Centre massacre take place?

On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, during the genocidal war on Gaza.

What is “Sina’at al-Wakala”?

The local name for UNRWA’s Khan Younis Training Centre, which became the largest shelter for displaced people in the south of the Strip.

How many people were killed?

At least 13 according to the UN, with 56 to 75 wounded.

Did the occupation know where the centre was?

Yes. UNRWA said it had shared the centre’s coordinates with the occupation authorities.

What happened to the displaced after the massacre?

The occupation army ordered them to leave the centre on foot before the afternoon of 26 January 2024, through checkpoints.

Sources and references

Arabic-language sources are listed with translated titles.

1. “Killed and Wounded in Occupation Shelling of a UNRWA Centre in Khan Younis Sheltering Tens of Thousands,” Arabic Post, 24 January 2024.
2. “Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel – Flash Update #102,” UN OCHA, January 2024.
3. “‘It Felt Like My Head Burst’: Survivors Recount Attack on U.N. Facility,” NPR, 26 January 2024.
4. “The Occupation Commits 21 New Massacres in Gaza and Gives the Displaced Hours to Leave UNRWA’s Largest Shelter in Khan Younis,” Arabic Post, 25 January 2024.