Israeli Strikes in Gaza’s Jabalia Leave 30 Dead, Many Injured

AFP

Gaza: At least 30 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Friday in Gaza’s northern town of Jabalia and its refugee camp, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. The strikes occurred amid heavy military operations by Israeli forces in the area.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the agency, reported that one strike before 9:40 pm local time (1840 GMT) killed 12 people, including women and children, in the town. He added that 14 individuals remain missing, likely trapped under the rubble.

Earlier in the day, Ahmad al-Kahlut, the agency’s director in northern Gaza, stated that 18 people were killed in multiple strikes, including attacks on “eight schools” in the camp, which were serving as shelters for displaced civilians.

Overall, the strikes left at least 110 people injured, according to figures provided by Bassal and Kahlut.
The Israeli military has not responded to inquiries about the strikes on schools in Jabalia camp.

The Israeli army previously announced it had encircled the Jabalia area and issued evacuation orders, with analysts suggesting that Hamas militants were regrouping there despite ongoing strikes and heavy fighting throughout the past year.

Since the onset of the war following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, large parts of Gaza have been destroyed by Israel’s military operations. These operations, aimed at dismantling the Iran-backed militant group, have displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents at least once in the past year.