Dozens of people were killed on Tuesday after an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander was launched into the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The Jabalya refugee camp, home to thousands of civilians, is said to be the largest in Gaza, where Israel has increased its bombardment as part of its pledge to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, 50 people were killed and 150 were injured. However, a nearby hospital reported 400 casualties, including 120 deaths.
According to an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) statement, the air strike targeted and killed Ibrahim Biari, who was described as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, which killed over 1,400 people and took hundreds hostage.
The IDF also stated that the strike harmed Hamas’ command and control in the area and killed a large number of terrorists associated 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, on the other hand, has categorically denied the presence of one of its leaders in the refugee camp, accusing Israel of attempting to justify a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women in Jabalya camp.”
According to IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht, Hamas is always “hiding, as they do, behind civilians.”
Humanitarian organisations have condemned Israel’s air raid on the refugee camp, saying it should serve as a “wake-up call” to world leaders to secure a cease-fire in Gaza.