Israel has confirmed that it was responsible for the airstrike at the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health authority, the strike killed over 50 and left 150 wounded. The explosion has sparked outrage across the Arab world and has been denounced by humanitarian groups.
According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the attack was carried out by Israeli fighter jets, and it resulted in the death of a top Hamas commander and the collapse of the terror group's entire underground infrastructure. The IDF claimed that the powerful explosion killed Ibrahim Biari, the commander of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion.
Israel Creates Rampage
Biari was allegedly one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre in Israel. Also, a "large number of terrorists" from Hamas's Central Jabalia Battalion who had been with the commander at the time were killed.
"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets, acting on ISA intelligence, killed Ibrahim Biari, the Commander of Hamas' Central Jabaliya Battalion. Biari was one of the leaders responsible for sending 'Nukbha' terrorist operatives to Israel to carry out the murderous terror attack on October 7th," the IDF said in a statement.
The densely populated neighborhood suffered widespread destruction, resulting in leveled buildings and the formation of large sinkholes. Residents compared the impact to an earthquake, noting that the ground began collapsing around them.
Images depict scenes reminiscent of an apocalypse, with numerous distressed bystanders congregating around two massive craters. Some even climbed into these craters in a frantic search for any potential survivors.
Moreover, nearby streets were filled up with dozens of white body bags, awaiting burial at the hospital close to the settlement.
"More than 50 martyrs and around 150 wounded and dozens under the rubble, in a heinous Israeli massacre that targeted a large area of homes in Jabalia camp in the northern Strip," a Gazan health ministry statement read.
If verified, the figure will add to the already rising death toll in Gaza, which Hamas had earlier said had reached 8,525. Most of the dead are believed to be civilians.
Israel's Wrath on Gaza
Jabalia, the largest of the eight refugee camps in the besieged area, is home to 116,000 registered refugees who are forced to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions, according to the United Nations.
"Numerous Hamas terrorists were hit in the strike," the IDF said. According to them, Biari was also in charge of launching rocket attacks and other attacks against Israel over the past 20 years, as well as sending terrorists to kill 13 Israelis in Ashdod Port in 2004.
The IDF added: "His elimination was carried out as part of a wide-scale strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure belonging to the Central Jabaliya Battalion, which had taken control over civilian buildings in Gaza City.
"The strike damaged Hamas' command and control in the area, as well as its ability to direct military activity against IDF soldiers operating throughout the Gaza Strip. As a result of the strike, a large number of terrorists who were with Biari were killed.
"Underground terror infrastructure embedded beneath the buildings, used by the terrorists, also collapsed after the strike. The IDF reiterates its call to the area's residents to move south for their safety."
During a press conference, Hagari claimed that additional buildings collapsed due to the attack on the office where Biari was stationed. " The purpose of that infrastructure was to carry out terrorist activities against our forces. The entire infrastructure collapsed and many terrorists were killed."
"Hamas terrorists continue to use the civilian population as human shields intentionally and in a very cruel and brutal manner."
Hagari emphasized Israel's commitment to maintaining robust operations in Gaza City with full force. He also urged Palestinians to relocate to the southern regions.
Independent verification of the number of Hamas casualties is not possible for figures published by Hamas. Nonetheless, scores of dead have reportedly been seen by journalists on the scene in Jabalia, and many are probably still under the debris.
Photographs taken from above depict scenes of destruction, with tall buildings torn down and just burned rubble left in their place.
As rescuers groped through concrete blocks and bent metal in a desperate search for lives and bodies, agonized cries pierced the dusty air.
