EXPLAINER
Israeli air raids on the refugee camp has killed dozens and injured hundreds drawing condemnation from Arab nations.
Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp has been bombed again a day after Israel attacked the densely populated camp triggering global condemnation. Here is what we know so far:
What happened, how many killed?
At least 50 people were killed after six Israeli air raids hit a residential area of the camp on Tuesday. A Hamas statement said there were 400 dead and injured in the attack. Casualty figures for Wednesday’s attacks are still not known.
At least 11 Israeli soldiers were killed during its incursion in northern Gaza on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said seven civilian hostages were killed in the Jabalia attack, including three foreign passport holders. There was no comment from Israel on the claim.
The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked the camp since the beginning of the war, including on October 9, 12, 19 and 22, killing and wounding hundreds of people.
The air raid came amid Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip which has killed 8,525 people, including more than 3,500 children, since fighting began on October 7, Palestinian authorities have said.
Where in Gaza did the attack take place?
Jabalia is located in the north of the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has carried out one of the deadliest bombings.
What has Israel said?
An Israeli military statement said that the attacks on Jabalia had killed Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari. The military believes Biari played a pivotal role in the planning and execution of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7.
“There was a very senior Hamas commander in that area,” Israeli army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht told CNN.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas fighters had two options – “either be killed or surrender without conditions”.
“That is the war [for] the future of Israel – nothing less,” he said.
What has Hamas said?
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem has denied that any senior commander was present in the refugee camp and deemed the claim an Israeli excuse for killing civilians.
How have other countries reacted?
Several Arab countries have issued statements condemning Israel for its attack on the Gaza refugee camp. These include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen and Jordan. Qatar also warned that the attacks undermine mediation in the region.
Condemnations also came from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
The European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs wrote on social media platform X, “I am appalled by the high number of casualties following the bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp.”
The attack amidst Gaza’s total blockade
The attack happened amid Israel’s continued total blockade on Gaza, which severely restricts access to water, electricity, food, and fuel for the strip’s more than 2.3 million residents.
Gaza’s medical workers are now struggling with dwindling supplies of medicines and power cuts.
Two of Gaza’s main hospitals – al-Shifa Medical and the Indonesian Hospital – faced a power outage as their generators rapidly ran out of fuel.
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, called on petrol station owners in the enclave to urgently proe fuel as doctors worked around the clock to treat casualties with whatever supplies they have at hand.
