On Wednesday, Israeli air strikes targeted Jabalia, Gaza’s largest refugee camp for the second time in two days, resulting in uncertain casualties as rescue workers searched through the debris. The day before, the Hamas-led health ministry reported that over 50 individuals were killed in the attack, with Israel claiming they had targeted and killed a Hamas commander.
Jabalia, which is densely populated and covers an area of 1.4 square kilometres (0.5 sq miles), is home to approximately 116,000 registered refugees, according to the United Nations. Following a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths condemned the attack, stating that it was the latest in a series of atrocities affecting the people of Gaza, resulting in dire humanitarian consequences. He expressed frustration at the lack of action from the international community and called for a significant change to address the ongoing crisis.
Griffiths emphasized the urgent need for the warring parties to agree to temporary ceasefires to allow vital aid to enter Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million people. In response, Israel’s military released a statement that their fighter jets had targeted a Hamas command-and-control center in Jabalia, based on precise intelligence, resulting in the death of the head of the Islamist group’s anti-tank missile unit, Muhammad A’sar. The statement accused Hamas of intentionally placing its infrastructure within civilian buildings, thus putting Gazan civilians at risk.
Since October 7, at least 8,796 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, while more than 1,400 individuals have died in Israel.