At least 33 individuals have lost their lives and 85 have been injured due to Israeli airstrikes that struck multiple homes in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historical refugee camps, as reported by medics. Residents indicated that tanks detonated roads and residences in the area.
The Gaza government media office stated that the death toll from these strikes could increase, as several people are believed to be trapped beneath debris. The Palestinian official news agency WAFA has reported that children were among those who lost their lives. No immediate response has been issued from Israeli authorities.
Additional Israeli strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 39 Palestinians throughout Gaza, with 20 fatalities occurring in Jabalia, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Inhabitants of Jabalia reported that Israeli tanks have penetrated deep into the camp after advancing through nearby suburbs and residential areas.
Health officials have urgently requested fuel, medical supplies, and food to be dispatched to three northern Gaza hospitals that are overwhelmed by the influx of patients and injuries.
The Israeli military stated that its forces, who have been engaged in operations in Jabalia for the past fortnight, eliminated numerous militants during close-quarters combat on Thursday, conducted aerial strikes, and dismantled military infrastructure.
Separately, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that at least 11 more people were killed in an Israeli strike on a residence in the central Gaza Al Maghazi refugee camp, noting that there are still individuals unaccounted for under the rubble.
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On Thursday, Israel declared that it had killed its foremost adversary, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was accused of orchestrating the 7 October attack on Israel—the most deadly incident in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli military maintains that its operation in Jabalia aims to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping for further assaults.
According to residents, Israeli forces have effectively isolated the far northern Gazan towns of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya from Gaza City, restricting movement to only those families complying with evacuation orders.
They reported that communication and internet services had been severed, hampering rescue efforts.
Gaza authorities are accusing Israeli forces of assaulting a hospital.
Health officials in Gaza claim that Israeli forces surrounded and shelled the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia during dawn.
“Israeli tanks have completely encircled the hospital, cut off its electricity supply, and bombarded the premises, targeting the second and third floors with artillery,” stated Marwan Sultan, the hospital’s director.
“There are serious risks to the safety of medical personnel and patients.”
Displaced Palestinians stand in line to receive food rations provided by a charity at Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.
In an official statement, Gaza’s health ministry noted that Israel had focused its attacks on the upper floors of the hospital, stating that there were “more than 40 patients and wounded individuals in addition to medical staff” present.
“Heavy gunfire” directed at the hospital and its courtyard had created a “state of great panic” among patients and staff, they added.
Earlier this month, Israel initiated a new offensive in northern Gaza, asserting its focus on Hamas fighters who were regrouping in the region.
Appeal for immediate hospital supplies
Health officials have called for the urgent delivery of fuel, medical supplies, and food to three northern Gaza hospitals that are overwhelmed with patients and injuries.
At Kamal Adwan Hospital, medical staff reported that they had to prioritize critical adult cases over children in intensive care, as many were severely injured by Israeli airstrikes on a school sheltering displaced individuals in Jabalia on Thursday.
Israel stated that its operation targeted militants taking refuge within the complex.
Kamal Adwan’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, shared in a video sent to the press that the children had been relocated to another section of the hospital for their care. He highlighted that medical personnel were fatigued and that hospital supplies, including food, were critically low.
Israel claimed to have dispatched approximately 30 truckloads of aid into northern Gaza, including food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment. “We’re combating Hamas, not the people of Gaza,” military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told journalists in an online briefing.
Hamas and health officials argue that the aid has not reached the areas most in need, including the three isolated towns.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, stated on X that the attack on the school marked the third assault on a UNRWA facility within the week, and noted that 231 team members had lost their lives over the past year of conflict.
Northern Gaza, which once housed over half of the territory’s 2.3 million population, was largely reduced to rubble in the initial phase of Israel’s offensive a year ago.
Israel commenced its military campaign following the attacks by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel on 7 October, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli estimates.
According to Gaza’s health authorities, over 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive to date.
