Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
Palestinian health officials have reported at least 50 casualties following Israeli airstrikes on a densely populated refugee camp in northern Gaza. The attack occurred as Israeli ground forces engaged in combat with Hamas fighters within an extensive tunnel network.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international appeals for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to the civilian population facing shortages of essential supplies. United Nations and aid agencies have emphasized the growing public health crisis in Gaza, where hospitals are overwhelmed by casualties due to dwindling electricity supplies.
Reports from Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital indicate that more than 50 Palestinians were killed, and 150 others were wounded when residential areas in the Jabalia refugee camp were struck by aerial explosives. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using civilian buildings as shields for fighters and weaponry, a claim that Hamas denies.
Footage from the scene shows widespread destruction, including bomb craters and damaged multi-story buildings. Residents are seen searching through the rubble for survivors or victims. Medics worked tirelessly outside the hospital, where the deceased were laid to rest, while the injured, including children, were rushed inside for treatment.
Hamas, in a statement, claimed there were 400 casualties in Jabalia, which is in the primary combat zone between entrenched Hamas militants and Israeli troops and tanks. Jabalia is home to families of refugees from conflicts with Israel dating back to 1948. It is essential to note that Reuters could not independently verify these casualty figures.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his appeal for the protection of civilians during the conflict, emphasizing the need for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law.
The tunnels beneath Gaza have become a focal point of Israeli military operations as they expand their ground offensive, following weeks of aerial bombardment in response to a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel in October.
Israeli forces have targeted numerous locations, including anti-tank missile and rocket launch sites near tunnel entrances and underground Hamas military facilities. In response, militants have engaged Israeli forces with anti-tank missiles and machine gun fire, resulting in unspecified casualties.
Hamas reported that its fighters clashed with Israeli troops invading Gaza’s southern region and successfully targeted Israeli vehicles with rockets. In addition, they claimed to have ambushed Israeli armored vehicles in the central Jur al-Dik area, destroying three of them with al Yassin 105mm shells.
Regarding humanitarian aid, there has been a limited supply of aid trucks entering Gaza, with distribution challenges arising from fuel shortages, looting, and debris obstructing streets due to Israeli shelling. Civilians in Gaza have been urged to evacuate from the north to avoid the main focus of the military operation.
In southern Israel, air raid sirens were activated in the vicinity of Eilat, with the Israeli military downing an approaching “aerial target.” Notably, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel in support of Palestinian militants, marking their third such operation targeting Israel and raising concerns about the conflict’s regional implications.
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