The airstrike caused humanitarian agencies in the immediate area to suspend their activities, and prompted the relocation of Dedebit's displaced persons to other parts of Tigray.

[1] After a period of guerilla warfare against government-allied forces occupying Tigray,[2] the TPLF recaptured the capital of Mekelle in June 2021, and vowed to continue fighting, saying they would conduct offensives into Eritrea and Amhara if necessary.

[11] On 7 January, before the airstrike occurred, Ethiopia released a number of political prisoners, some of them being from the TPLF, including co-founder Sebhat Nega and former Tigray Region president Abay Weldu.

[12][13] The Ethiopian government publicly expressed a desire for peace, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stating he was looking for an "all-inclusive national dialogue",[14] and that "One of the moral obligations of a victor is mercy.

"[15] In a statement made to Al Jazeera English after the airstrike, Teklay Gebremichael of Tghat argued that this decision was "a ruse" intended to mollify international observers, claiming that Abiy used the language of peace and negotiation while continuing to operate as usual.

The deadliest of these airstrikes[26] was launched at the makeshift IDP camp at Dedebit Elementary School on 7 January; it happened late at night, at some point between 11:00pm–12:00am (EAT).

Survivors and aid workers noted it was difficult to establish the exact number of people killed, as the bombs had caused some to be "burned to ash" or blown apart,[23] with one saying that "bodies were fragmented like leaves"; human flesh was seen hanging from trees near the blast zones.

The airport – located around 278 km (173 mi) south of Dedebit – was the only base that was close enough for a TB2 to both launch MAM-L bombs and make a return trip back.

[23] UN investigators from the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) came to a similar conclusion in September the same year, stating that they had "reasonable grounds to believe that the ETAF committed war crimes," among them being the airstrike on Dedebit.

[40][41] The ICHREE made note of the "surgical nature" of MAM-L munitions (which allowed those operating the drones "real-time surveillance" of who and what they were targeting), as well as the locations of where the first and second bombs were dropped.

Spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Liz Throssell, also condemned the campaign, and drew particular attention to the bombing of Dedebit.

[49] European Union High Representative Josep Borrell was critical of the strike, saying that, while the release of political prisoners was a positive development, "All parties must seize the moment to swiftly end the conflict and enter into dialogue.

"[50] the United States Bureau of African Affairs also condemned the bombings, calling them "unacceptable", and urged for both a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian aid into affected areas of the country.