Halfaya massacre (2012)

Halfaya massacre
Part of the Syrian civil war
LocationHalfaya, Hama Governorate, Ba'athist Syria
Date23 December 2012 (2012-12-23)
Attack type
Massacre, Airstrike
Deaths23–300
PerpetratorsSyrian Air Force

The Halfaya massacre (Arabic: مجزرة حلفايا) occurred in the small town of Halfaya on 23 December 2012, where between 23 and 300 people were allegedly killed by bombing from warplanes. Reportedly, the civilians in the city of Halfaya were killed while queuing for bread at a bakery. Halfaya was seized by rebels the previous week as part of a campaign, to push into new territories in the 21-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Government agreed that many women and children were killed, but it blamed rebel fighters who it said had attacked the town.