Devastating Attack on Jabalia Refugee Camp Leaves Hundreds Dead and Injured Amid Continued Bombardment

On Tuesday afternoon, rescue teams were seen sifting through the debris of the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, where an Israeli airstrike had obliterated homes, leaving behind only a tangled mass of concrete and steel. The immense power of the blast left victims close to the surface, while those buried deeper may remain trapped for months. After over three weeks of relentless bombardment, heavy machinery is unable to reach the bomb sites due to severely damaged roads and a shortage of fuel to operate the equipment.

At the nearby Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, body bags piled up at an alarming rate as the wounded flooded in. Many of the injured were transported to Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where medical staff, including those from the aid group Médecins Sans Frontières, were overwhelmed by the influx. “Young children arrived with deep wounds and severe burns, crying for their parents,” said Mohammed Hawajreh, an MSF nurse. “I stayed with them until we could find space, as the hospital was full.”

A Hamas-run media office reported that at least 195 Palestinians were killed in two rounds of Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia camp, with the majority being women and children. The surgical director of the Indonesian hospital confirmed that 400 casualties, including 120 dead, had been received at the facility. Many of the most critically injured were transported under fire to Al-Shifa hospital.

The devastating attack on Jabalia came as Israeli ground forces advanced into Gaza from multiple directions. According to the Israeli military, the airstrike was authorized to target a senior Hamas commander and destroy his base.