Israeli air strikes once again targeted Jabalia, which is Gaza’s largest refugee camp, on Wednesday, marking the second attack in as many days. As the dust settled and rescue workers searched through the debris, there was no immediate confirmation regarding the number of casualties resulting from this latest strike.
On Tuesday, in the previous attack, the Hamas-run health ministry reported that more than 50 people had lost their lives. Israel claimed to have successfully targeted a Hamas commander in that strike.
Jabalia, a densely populated camp located in the northern part of the besieged Gaza Strip, covers an area of 1.4 square kilometers (0.5 square miles). According to the United Nations, there are approximately 116,000 registered refugees living in this camp.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths strongly condemned the Jabalia strike following a two-day visit to both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. He described this as the latest atrocity in Gaza, emphasizing the worsening humanitarian consequences as the fighting has escalated.
Griffiths expressed his concerns about the apparent inaction or unwillingness of the international community to address the situation and urged for a significant change. He called for both warring parties to agree to ceasefires to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to reach the 2.3 million people living in the Palestinian territory.
In response, Israel’s military issued a statement explaining that their fighter jets had targeted a Hamas command-and-control complex in Jabalia, citing precise intelligence. The strike resulted in the death of Muhammad A’sar, the head of the Islamist group’s anti-tank missile unit. Israel accused Hamas of deliberately placing its infrastructure within civilian buildings, putting Gaza’s residents at risk.
The ongoing conflict has taken a significant toll on the region, with at least 8,796 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel. Israel argued that it had targeted a high-ranking Hamas commander, despite Hamas rejecting the presence of such a figure in Tuesday’s strike. On Wednesday, they claimed to have hit a Hamas command-and-control complex in Jabalia.
