At least 33 people were killed, and 85 others wounded, in Israeli airstrikes that hit several homes in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s refugee camps, on Friday. The strikes targeted densely populated areas, where medics reported that tanks had also destroyed roads and homes, leading to widespread destruction. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office warned that the death toll could rise, as several people were believed to be trapped under the rubble. According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, children were among the dead. Israel has not yet commented on the strikes.
The Gaza Health Ministry later reported that additional Israeli strikes across the region killed at least 39 Palestinians on Friday, 20 of whom were also in Jabalia. Residents in the area described how Israeli tanks had advanced into the heart of the camp after breaking through suburban areas and residential neighborhoods. They accused the Israeli military of systematically destroying homes using aerial attacks, ground operations, and explosives planted in buildings that were then detonated remotely.
The Israeli military has been operating in Jabalia for the past two weeks, stating that its forces had killed dozens of militants during close-quarters combat on Thursday. The military also confirmed carrying out airstrikes and dismantling Hamas infrastructure. Israel’s operation in Jabalia, according to its military, aims to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping for further attacks.
Thursday also saw the Israeli military announce the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom it blamed for orchestrating the October 7 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s history.
The offensive has effectively cut off northern Gaza towns like Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya from Gaza City, with only limited movement possible for families complying with evacuation orders. Local residents reported that communications and internet services had been severed, complicating rescue efforts in the aftermath of airstrikes.
Health officials in Gaza issued an urgent appeal on Friday for fuel, medical supplies, and food to be sent to hospitals in the north, which are struggling to cope with the influx of wounded. At Kamal Adwan Hospital, medics reported that they were forced to prioritize care for adults critically injured in Israeli airstrikes over children in intensive care. The hospital had been treating victims from a school sheltering displaced Palestinians that was hit by Israeli airstrikes on Thursday.
Northern Gaza, once home to over half of the territory’s 2.3 million residents, was heavily bombed in the early phases of the Israeli military operation a year ago, leaving much of the area in ruins.
