At least 33 individuals lost their lives and 85 others were injured as a result of Israeli airstrikes that targeted multiple homes on Friday in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, according to medical personnel. Residents reported that tanks had destroyed roads and houses in the area. The media office of the Hamas-run Gaza government stated that the death toll from the strikes might increase as some people were believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that children were among the fatalities. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Additional Israeli strikes claimed the lives of at least 39 Palestinians across Gaza on Friday, with 20 of those deaths occurring in Jabalia, according to the Gaza health ministry. Residents of Jabalia noted that Israeli tanks had penetrated the core of the camp after advancing through suburban and residential areas. They claimed that the Israeli army was demolishing dozens of houses daily, both from the air and the ground, and by planting bombs in buildings that were then remotely detonated.
The Israeli military confirmed that its forces, which have been active in Jabalia for the past two weeks, had killed numerous militants in close-quarters combat on Thursday, conducted aerial strikes, and dismantled military infrastructure. Israel announced on Thursday that it had eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas leader, whom it accused of orchestrating the October 7 attack on Israel—the deadliest in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli military asserts that its operation in Jabalia aims to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping for further attacks. Residents reported that Israeli forces had effectively cut off the northern Gazan towns of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya from Gaza City, restricting movement except for families complying with evacuation orders and leaving the three towns. They also noted that communication and internet services had been severed, hampering rescue operations.
On Friday, health officials urgently called for the immediate delivery of fuel, medical supplies, and food to three northern Gaza hospitals that were overwhelmed by the influx of patients and injuries. At Kamal Adwan Hospital, medical staff reported having to replace children in intensive care with more critically injured adults, following Israeli airstrikes on a school in Jabalia that was sheltering displaced Palestinians on Thursday. Israel claimed it had targeted militants hiding within the complex.
Northern Gaza, which was home to more than half of the territory's 2.3 million people, was reduced to rubble during the initial phase of Israel's assault a year ago.
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