Wednesday was Israel’s second bombing of the heavily populated Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza in as many days. As more countries reacted diplomatically and denounced Israel’s offensive in the confined territory, warnings of war crimes were issued.
Patients in critical care became even more anxious when, a few hours later, one of the few hospitals still operating in the northern portion of the coastal enclave declared that its primary generator had failed.
Along with the injury toll, hundreds of foreign people and wounded Palestinians crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, marking the first official departure from the beleaguered enclave in weeks. On Thursday, more people are anticipated to cross.
Video from the scene shows a deep crater and people looking through the debris for bodies. The powerful second hit on Jabalya caused even more catastrophic damage, demolishing multiple structures in the camp’s Falluja district.
In Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, the Civil Defense called the attack a “second massacre.” Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, the director of Gaza’s Indonesian hospital, claims that the airstrike claimed the lives of at least 80 people and injured hundreds more. He told CNN that most of the victims were women and children, and that additional remains were being pulled out of the wreckage.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the operation on Wednesday “eliminated” Hamas terrorists “based on precise intelligence” and targeted a Hamas command and control structure.
The IDF said in a statement that Hamas “purposefully builds its terror infrastructure under, around, and within civilian buildings, endangering Gazan civilians.”
The airstrike occurred one day after Israeli jets struck the camp in the vicinity of Falluja on Tuesday, inflicting hundreds of injuries or fatalities, according to medical personnel, and igniting new controversy over the increasing number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
Following Tuesday’s attack, survivors and eyewitnesses described horrific scenes; one said, “It felt like the end of the world.”
“Gray dust filled the air as youngsters ran while carrying other injured kids. Many of the bodies hanging on the debris were unidentifiable. Mohammad Al Aswad told CNN over the phone that some people were bleeding while others were burned.
Several Hamas members, including Ibrahim Biari, who the IDF stated was one of the Hamas commanders behind the October 7 onslaught on Israel that resulted in over 1,400 fatalities and hundreds of hostages, were killed in the initial hit. However, Hamas vehemently denied that one of its commanders was present in the camp for refugees.
The largest refugee camp in Gaza, Jabalya, has seen attacks that the UN Human Rights Office stated on social media “may amount to war crimes” due to “the high number of civilian casualties and the scale of destruction.”
Based on information gathered from sources inside the Hamas-controlled enclave, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah has declared that at least 8,700 people have died as a result of Israel’s weeks-long shelling of Gaza. CNN’s estimate puts that number of deaths every day at an average of above 300. Over 70% of those slain were women, children, or elderly, the government announced on Monday.
Many nations reacted with diplomatic sanctions in criticism of Israel’s activities in Gaza and the ensuing humanitarian disaster, believing that the destruction caused by the strikes—part of Israel’s expanding attack in Gaza—was a turning point in the war.
Following Chile and Colombia, Jordan was the third nation to recall its ambassador to Israel as a result of the assault on Gaza on Wednesday. Due to “crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people,” Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with Israel on Tuesday.
The UN and humanitarian groups are pushing for a ceasefire with increasing urgency, and the UN General Assembly has passed a nonbinding resolution advocating for a “sustained humanitarian truce,” which is supported by more than 100 nations. Nevertheless, the strikes are still ongoing.
Fresh attacks, a hospital loses power
Early on Thursday morning, a live video feed from AFP revealed a flurry of new explosions over Gaza City, the enclave’s major urban area.
According to Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, the Israeli military is “at the gates of Gaza City” as of Wednesday. Additionally, Israeli soldiers have reportedly penetrated Hamas’ defensive line in northern Gaza, according to IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, and they are now extending their combat inside the strip.
Another soldier was slain in Gaza on Wednesday; his death was confirmed by the IDF on Thursday. There have already been seventeen Israeli soldiers killed since the beginning of the ground invasion. Of those number, sixteen died within Gaza.
After a quick visit to Gaza on Wednesday, the head of the UN organization responsible for Palestinian refugees stated that the tragedy befalling the more than 2 million people—half of them children—trapped inside the war-torn enclave is “unprecedented.”
“All that was being requested was food and drink. The children were requesting a piece of bread and a sip of water rather than attending school and learning. It was painful to watch. The most common request was for a cease-fire. According to Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), “They want this tragedy to end.”
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, over half of Gaza’s hospitals—including the region’s top cancer hospital—are closed as a result of bombings and fuel shortages. It issued a warning that Al Shifa, the biggest hospital in Gaza, will have to cease operations in less than a day.
The chief of the Gaza Indonesian Hospital, Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, informed CNN on Thursday that the hospital’s primary generator failed on Wednesday night. According to Al Kahlout, the hospital is regarded as the backbone of healthcare in northern Gaza. The blackout has impacted the hospital’s operating room ventilation systems, its lone oxygen station, and its morgue refrigeration.
Hundreds of foreign people and wounded Palestinians began entering Egypt on Wednesday via the Rafah border crossing from Gaza.
According to an Egyptian government official who spoke to CNN, among them were over 360 foreign passport holders, many of them were dual nationals from Palestine. Dozens of them were headed to Cairo, where some will board flights to return to their home countries.
American medical volunteer Ramona Okumura, 71, of Seattle, was among those who entered Egypt on Wednesday. She was assisting young amputees in Gaza. According to her niece Leah Okumura, Ramona is currently taking a nap in a motel.
Additionally, 35 wounded Palestinians are presently receiving care in three hospitals in Egypt, a representative of the Egyptian government told CNN. They are among 81 seriously injured patients who are anticipated to travel to Egypt for medical care.
On Wednesday, fifty-five trucks carrying food, water, medications, and medical supplies from the Egyptian Red Crescent crossed into Gaza through the Rafah gate. Although just a small portion of the material required has been delivered, with 272 relief vehicles having entered Gaza thus far, no fuel has been let to enter, according to the report.
conclusion
Heartbreakingly, the violence in Gaza is getting worse, resulting in a great deal of suffering. Israel may have committed war crimes in the wake of its catastrophic airstrikes on the Jabalya refugee camp. It is sad that so many people have died, particularly women and children. Diplomatic efforts and international censure demonstrate how serious the humanitarian situation is. The UN General Assembly is in favor of the urgent requests for a ceasefire that have been sparked by the ongoing bloodshed and destruction. The already grave situation is being made worse by the threat to critical infrastructure, including hospitals. The effects on civilians and the diplomatic fallout highlight how urgent a settlement is to stop more losses and lessen the suffering of the Gaza population.