31 October 2023 attack on Jabalia

31 October 2023 attack on Jabalia
On 31 October 2023, the Jabalia refugee camp was attacked by Israeli fighter jets, killing at least 47 Palestinians and trapping more than a hundred beneath the rubble. The Indonesia Hospital said most casualties were women and children. Gaza Interior Ministry stated the camp had been "completely destroyed," with preliminary estimates of about 400 wounded or dead. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israeli fighter jets attacked the refugee camp, and said that the attack killed Ibrahim Biari, a key leader of the October 7 attacks, as well as killing dozens of militants in a "vast underground tunnel complex" beneath the camp that Biari was commanding operations from. Hamas denied the presence of any commander and said Israel was using these claims as an excuse for the attack.
Attack
An eyewitness described the scene:
Atef Abu Seif, Minister of Culture of the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas and a well-known critic of Hamas, likewise spoke of "apocalyptic" scenes to Der Spiegel, saying more than 50 houses were "smashed, crushed. In each house there were dozens of people, families and relatives who had fled here from outside because their areas were bombed ... They bombed the center, the heart of the refugee camp. No place in all of Palestine is probably as densely populated as this. Now we can't even make out where which building began and ended." Médecins Sans Frontières reported treating children with burns and deep wounds.
The director for civil defense in Gaza told Al Jazeera that Israel dropped six US-made bombs in the area. Pictures of the aftermath showed several large craters amid destroyed buildings. The New York Times quoted an analyst who said the damage appeared consistent with Joint Direct Attack Munitions that Israel uses. Satellite imagery showed that an area of at least was "completely flattened" in the strikes, according to the NYT.
According to IDF officials, Israel targeted the space between buildings in order to destroy an underground tunnel complex. However, the collapse of the tunnel network caused the collapse of the foundations of nearby buildings causing them to collapse in turn.
In 2023, the refugee camp had a population of 116,000.
Another airstrike hit the camp on 1 November.
Casualties
The Gaza Ministry of Health initially reported 50 people were killed and 150 injured. The Indonesian Hospital nearby said it received 120 dead bodies and treated 280 wounded, and the majority were women and children. Agence France-Presse's footage showed 47 dead bodies being pulled out from the rubble. The New York Times also confirmed that footage showed that children, some dead, were pulled from the rubble.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, said the attack killed "seven civilian hostages [...] including three foreign passport holders".
Israel's justification
The IDF said the strike targeted a "military stronghold" that included a command center and underground tunnels. They said the strike killed about 50 militants, including Ibrahim Biari, who they describe as a Hamas commander who led the 7 October attack on Israel. Hamas denied the presence of any commander and said Israel was using these claims as an excuse for the attack.
IDF spokesman Richard Hecht accused Hamas of "hiding, as they do, behind civilians"; when CNN host Wolf Blitzer reminded him that there were many innocent civilians in the camp, Hecht replied, "This is the tragedy of war" and said civilians should move south.
International reactions
The attack was immediately condemned by the Egyptian, Saudi, Jordanian, and Qatari foreign ministries. Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Israel, and Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors.
Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al Shareef was on the scene, stating, "It's a massive massacre. It is hard to count the number of buildings that have been destroyed here." Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent described the scene as "absolutely horrific."
Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert stated, "There is absolutely no doubt that this is a mass murder." Melanie Ward, the chief executive of the UK-nonprofit Medical Aid for Palestinians, stated, "This attack marks a new low and should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders and politicians everywhere. Their meek requests for compliance with international law are being ignored entirely; Israel has instead increased the ferocity of its indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks." Doctors Without Borders condemned the airstrike, stating "Enough is enough!"
Brazilian President Lula da Silva, stated on X: "For the first time, we are witnessing a war in which the majority of the dead are children … Stop! For the love of God, stop!"
Scottish leader Humza Yousaf issued an open apology for the world's inaction to those affected by the attack, stating on X: "I am sorry to those innocent men, women and children in Jabalia Refugee Camp that the world could not protect you. This blatant disregard for human life must be condemned unequivocally. Do not let any more children die. We need an immediate cease-fire, nothing less".
Martin Griffiths stated, "This is just the latest atrocity to befall the people of Gaza where the fighting has entered an even more terrifying phase – with increasingly dreadful humanitarian consequences."
Professor Tamer Qarmout of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies stated, "The complicity and silence from the international community on these war crimes, Israel carpet bombing the densest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. It’s insane that Israel is using this war tactic now... Basically what they’re saying to Hamas, in my opinion, is, 'We don’t want a street fight, we’re ready to wipe out Gaza City.'"
Countries
Egypt condemned the Israeli attack as an indiscriminate attack against civilians and a flagrant violation of international law.
Jordan recalled its Israeli ambassador and advised Israel that its own ambassador should not return to Jordan as long as the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza were ongoing.
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack as a violation of international humanitarian law, and deplored the international community's failure to pressure Israel into a ceasefire.
The Qatari foreign ministry released a statement condemning the attack.
The United Arab Emirates condemned the Israeli attack and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Israel.
Colombia recalled its Israeli ambassador.
Chile recalled its Israeli ambassador.
The United States, in the immediate aftermath, declined to comment on the attack.
Argentina condemned the attack, with the Foreign Ministry stating, "Nothing justifies the violation of international humanitarian law."
Multi-national organizations
The Arab League deplored the bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp and called for the immediate delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on the social media platform X: "I am appalled by the high number of casualties following the bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated he was "appalled" by the attack. The UN Human Rights Office said it has "serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes".
Analysis
Omar Shakir, a Human Rights Watch director, said that warnings to evacuate an area "does not absolve parties from the requirement to protect civilians" who have not evacuated. He also said that "international law prohibits attacks in which the expected harm to civilians and civilian properties is disproportionate to the anticipated military gain".
See also
Dedebit airstrike, a 2022 Ethiopian airstrike launched at an internally displaced persons camp
Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes
Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
References
Airstrikes during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Airstrikes conducted by Israel
Mass murder in Gaza
History of Gaza City
North Gaza Governorate
Jabalia attack