| Al-Mawasi | |
| Translit Lang1: | Arabic |
| Translit Lang1 Type: | Arabic |
| Translit Lang1 Info: | المواصي |
| Type: | Municipality type D (Village council) |
| Pushpin Map: | Palestine |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Al-Mawasi within Palestine |
| Coordinates: | 31.3289°N 34.23°W |
| Grid Name: | Palestine grid |
| Subdivision Type: | State |
| Subdivision Name: | State of Palestine |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Rafah |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Unit Pref: | dunam |
| Population Total: | 1,400 |
| Population As Of: | 2006 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Al-Mawasi (Arabic: المواصي) is a Palestinian Bedouin town on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, approximately one kilometer wide and fourteen kilometers long, that prior to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005 existed as a Palestinian enclave within the Katif bloc of Israeli settlements. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Mawasi had a population of 1,409 in mid-year 2006.
In December 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces had designated Al-Mawasi as one of the only safe areas in the Gaza Strip.[1] Hundreds of thousands of people had fled there, and found only a barren strip of land with no basic resources such as food, water, or sanitation.[2] In February 2024, as the IDF announced plans to expand operations into Rafah where hundreds of thousands had come to as a last refuge, Israeli authorities called Al-Mawasi a "safer zone".[3] In an interview with Channel 4 News, Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levi, when pressed to confirm if civilians displaced northwards once more would be safe from further bombardment, stated that "it will not be safe" until Gaza was free from Hamas.[4]
See also: Al-Mawasi refugee camp attack, June 2024 Al-Mawasi refugee camp attack and 13 July 2024 Al-Mawasi airstrikes. Two days after the Tel al-Sultan massacre by Israel, in which 45 people were killed, Palestinian officials said Israel attacked al-Mawasi, killing 21 people including 12 women.[5] Israel denied attacking the area. The New York Times published a video of the aftermath of the attack on Al-Mawasi.[6]