Dozens of people have died after an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander on Tuesday was fired into the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The Jabalya refugee camp is said to be the largest refugee camp in Gaza, home to thousands of civilians, where Israel has intensified its bombardment as part of its vow to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said 50 people were killed and 150 wounded. But a nearby hospital said it received 400 casualties, including 120 dead.
According to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the air strike targeted and killed Ibrahim Biari, whom it described as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, which left more than 1,400 people dead and hundreds taken hostage.
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IDF added that the strike damaged Hamas’ command and control in the area and eliminated a large number of terrorists who were with Biari.
“Additionally, underground terrorist infrastructure collapsed following the strike. The IDF reiterates its call to the residents of the area to move south for their safety,” the statement said.
Hamas has however strongly denied the presence of one of its leaders in the refugee camp and has accused Israel of attempting to justify what the group described as a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women in Jabalya camp”.
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Richard Hecht, IDF spokesperson, countered the accusations saying Hamas is always “hiding, as they do, behind civilians”.
Pictures seen on social media showed several large craters, surrounded by shattered buildings, as rescuers and volunteers used bare hands to search for survivors in huge amounts of concrete debris.
Humanitarian groups have condemned Israel’s attack on the refugee camp, saying the air raid should be a “wake-up call” to world leaders to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
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