Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli forces withdrew from Jabalia refugee camp, following a raid, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Israeli forces have concluded operations in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza following several days of intense combat and over 200 airstrikes. Concurrently, Israeli troops have advanced further into Rafah in southern Gaza, targeting what they describe as the last significant stronghold of Hamas battalions.
On Friday, the Israeli military reported that troops discovered caches of rocket launchers and other weapons, as well as tunnel shafts used by Hamas, in the center of Rafah. The ongoing offensive aims to dismantle militant combat units allegedly entrenched in the city near the Egyptian border. After more than two weeks of intense fighting in Jabalia, the Israeli military stated that their forces have withdrawn to prepare for further operations in Gaza. During this operation, troops recovered the bodies of seven of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants during their incursion into Israel on October 7 last year, which resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli casualties.
Since the start of the conflict, at least 36,284 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s air and ground campaign, according to the Gaza health ministry. Much of the densely populated enclave has been left in ruins. A senior Israeli security official stated on Friday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire unless it included the return of the surviving hostages. Hamas had indicated on Thursday its willingness to negotiate an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, provided that Israel halted its military operations.
In Jabalia, a densely populated urban district originally settled by refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Hamas has reportedly transformed the area into a fortified combat zone. According to the Israeli military, hundreds of militants were killed in close-quarters combat, and large caches of weaponry were seized, including rocket launchers ready for deployment. Israeli forces also disabled an extensive tunnel network and killed the Hamas district battalion commander.
Israel has attributed the high civilian casualties to Hamas’ practice of embedding fighters within residential areas, a claim that Hamas denies. The heavy fighting in Jabalia underscores the challenges Israel faces in eradicating Hamas units. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to eliminate Hamas as a military and political force, the group’s deep integration into Gaza’s social fabric complicates this objective.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to devise a post-war plan for Gaza, cautioning that without such a plan, further military gains might not be sustainable, potentially leading to lawlessness, chaos, and a resurgence of Hamas.
Amid the ongoing conflict and widespread destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, malnutrition has increased among the 2.3 million residents due to severely reduced aid deliveries. The United Nations has warned of an impending famine. In response, Jordan will host an emergency international conference on June 11 to coordinate the humanitarian response to the war, in collaboration with Egypt and the United Nations.
Israeli tanks entered Rafah’s city center on Tuesday as part of ongoing probing operations in the area, now a key focus of the conflict. The army reported finding longer-range rockets, as well as stocks of rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, and ammunition. Last week, Hamas demonstrated its ongoing capabilities by launching missiles at Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, for the first time in months.
Rafah, the last major city in Gaza not yet under Israeli control, had served as a refuge for over a million Palestinians displaced by fighting in other areas of Gaza. However, most have now evacuated following warnings of an impending Israeli assault. Despite international condemnation and warnings from allies, including the United States, Israel has signaled its intention to target the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah. The risks were underscored on Sunday when an Israeli airstrike targeting two Hamas commanders outside the city ignited a blaze that killed at least 45 people sheltering in nearby tents.
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