Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes

Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes
Beginning on 9 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, which contained civilians at the time of the attack. The airstrikes were part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. Over sixty people were killed in the first airstrike, and much of the market was destroyed. Forty-five people were killed in the second airstrike, and part of a residential complex was destroyed.
Background
The Jabalia refugee camp market is considered one of the most lively areas in the Gaza Strip. It is located in the northeast of Gaza City. There is a residential area in the market, the Al-Ternis area, which is considered part of the market, the largest commercial market in Gaza. UNRWA registered 116,011 Palestinian refugees in the camp.
October 9
Following Israeli airstrikes on other areas of Gaza, internally displaced Gazans fled to the Jabaliya camp. At the time of the attack, the market was completely full, with customers and vendors stocking up on goods. The airstrike hit the al-Trans area of the Jabalia market, one of the most populated areas of Jabaliya. Survivors of the attack, speaking to France 24, stated that the airstrike "hit in the heart of the market", and in the immediate aftermath, there were many dead. Many of the bodies were unable to be recovered in the days following the airstrike, due to a lack of medical equipment.
According to Hamas, fifty civilians were killed in the attack. A rescue worker speaking to the New York Times stated that the death toll was over sixty people killed, and the entire market and surrounding buildings were destroyed. Gaza's health ministry declined to give a full estimate, but reported "dozens" of dead and wounded. Gaza's interior ministry also claimed that the airstrike initially targeted a residential building belonging to the Abu Eshkayyah family.
The Israeli government claimed that the Jabalia airstrike targeted elements of Hamas located in a mosque in the Jabalia camp.
October 12
On October 12, a second airstrike on the Jabalia camp hit a residential building was hit, destroying several apartments, and killing people from two families. Gaza's Interior Ministry reported 45 people were killed, and at least four others injured. Some were sheltering there after being displaced from Beit Hanoun.
October 19
On October 19th, the camp was hit by a third airstrike, killing 18 refugees.
October 22
The camp was bombed for a fourth time during a particularly intense bombardment of Gaza. Multiple homes were bombed and at least 30 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
October 31
On 31 October, the camp was bombed again by Israeli fighter jets. IDF said the attack was meant to target Ibrahim Biari, who the IDF said was a key leader of the October 7 attacks, as well as a "vast underground tunnel complex" beneath the camp that Biari was commanding operations from according to IDF. Hamas denied the presence of any commander and said Israel was using these claims as an excuse for the attack.
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." More than a hundred people were reported missing beneath the rubble. The Gaza Interior Ministry stated the camp had been "completely destroyed," with preliminary estimates of about 400 wounded or dead. The director of the Indonesia Hospital reported more than 50 dead.
An eyewitness interviewed by CNN spoke of apocalyptic scenes:
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."
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israeli fighter jets attacked the refugee camp. Asked about civilian deaths by CNN host Wolf Blitzer, IDF spokesman Richard Hecht said, "This is the tragedy of war, Wolf"; accusing Hamas of "hiding, as they do, behind civilians" and saying that civilians had been asked to move south.
Reactions
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!"
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.
November 1
Less than a day after the October 31 airstrike which killed at least 50 people, Jabalia was bombed again.
See also
Al-Shati refugee camp airstrike
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
October 2013 events in Asia