According to terrorist-branded Hamas, around ten people had been killed or injured in the air strikes on Wednesday. Independent confirmation from Jabalia is scarce, but according to the AFP news agency, images show the dead and injured being carried away from destroyed buildings at a new bomb crater.
Israel confirmed that a second raid on the Jabalia refugee camp was carried out on Wednesday.
“Earlier today, based on intelligence, Israeli military (IDF) warplanes attacked a command center in Jabalia,” the IDF announced via X, formerly Twitter.
Growing criticism
Criticism is growing internationally against Israel. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect civilians in a phone call.
Even more generous was the UN. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, based in Geneva, wrote on X that the bombing of the refugee camp and the disproportionate military scale of the attacks “may amount to war crimes”.
At the time, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had already announced via his spokesperson that he was “appalled” by the attacks on Jabalia. UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths, who is visiting the crisis region, strongly criticized the Israeli bombing of targets in the refugee camp.
Massive Raid
The information comes the day after the massive air raid on the refugee facility, attacks that Israel confirmed. According to the Israeli military, a Hamas military leader, identified as Ibrahim Biari, was killed in the bombings. Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said underground tunnel systems used by Hamas were destroyed.
But information on the extent of dead and injured has varied, been incomplete or unconfirmed. According to Hamas, 50 civilians were killed in Tuesday’s attack. Of these, at least seven, including several foreigners, are said to have been part of the hostages taken in Israel on 7 October.
A doctor at a nearby hospital that treated people after the attack told the AP news agency that hundreds of people had been killed or injured.
Approaching Gaza City
As Israel approaches the densely populated city of Gaza City, the fighting rages from house to house. The goal seems to be to cut off the Gaza Strip and surround the city, according to Anders Ekholm, lieutenant colonel at the Defense Academy.
– You cut off there so that you make it impossible for Hamas to bring forward reinforcements, or move resources from other parts of Gaza and then enter from three different areas towards Gaza, says Anders Ekholm.
What you most want to avoid from the Israeli side is ending up in local battles with Hamas inside Gaza, he explains.
– It would give the defender completely different opportunities despite the military inferiority, he says.
In the past 24 hours, more Israeli soldiers have been sent to Gaza, reports say SVT as
interviewed Doron Spielman, spokesperson for the IDF. He tells SVT Nyheterna that the war is “going according to plan” but that it will take time and require more victims.
– The biggest challenge is to get at Hamas terrorists in this jungle they have built up in Gaza, a jungle that includes civilians and that includes tunnels, he tells SVT Nyheter.