Fact Sheet: Israel's Bombing of the Khudair Group's Warehouse in North Gaza

Body Text:

Between 10-21 May 2021, Israel carried out a full-scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip. The documentation collected by hbs partners Al Mezan Center of Human Rights (Al Mezan) shows that over the 11 days, 240 Palestinians, including 60 children and 38 women, were killed by Israeli forces, while another 1,968 sustained injuries, including 630 children and 397 women.

The offensive was characterized by deliberate and concentrated attacks on residential buildings and civilian objects. As a result, 1,313 residential units were destroyed and 6,367 others were damaged, whereas 189 public establishments, 25 factories, and 141 shops were destroyed, with others incurring material losses. For instance, 4,208,153 square meters of agricultural land was damaged, as well as 682 public establishments, 34 factories, and 342 shops.

During the offensive, residential areas in North Gaza endured intense shelling by Israeli artillery forces, which deliberately fired tens of missiles at the Khudair Group’s agricultural chemical warehouse—Gaza’s largest in the industry. As a consequence, a fire broke out on the premises of the warehouse, burning all its contents.

This fact sheet looks into the bombing of the Khudair Group warehouse and subsequent fire and provides an analysis of the incident’s health risks and repercussions on the environment. It also makes recommendations to the international community and relevant Palestinian ministries and authorities. The information provided in this factsheet is based on Al Mezan’s monitoring and documentation, victims’ testimonies, and expert opinions.