Desperate Palestinians were using their bare hands Tuesday to retrieve bodies buried in the ruins of a Gaza refugee camp after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes that reduced more than a dozen buildings to rubble, killed dozens and wounded hundreds of people, according to local health officials. Dr. Atef Al-Kahlot, director of the nearby Indonesian Hospital, said the total number of people wounded and killed is about 400. “We are still searching for missing persons and carrying out rescue operations from under the rubble in Jabalia,” Al-Kahlot said at a press conference. The governments of Egypt, Qatar and Jordan quickly condemned the deadly attack on the refugee camp.
Quick Read
- Airstrike in Gaza:
- A Gaza refugee camp was hit by an airstrike on Tuesday.
- The attack resulted in the destruction of over a dozen buildings, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, as per local health officials.
- Palestinians were seen using their hands to recover bodies from the ruins.
- Israeli Military’s Statement:
- The Israeli military claimed the airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza targeted and killed senior Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari.
- Biari was accused of orchestrating the Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel, which resulted in over 1,400 deaths and hundreds taken hostage.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the attack was a broad “strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure.”
- Hamas’ Response:
- Hamas denied that its leadership was in Jabalia during the airstrike.
- They reported that at least 20 homes were destroyed.
- Aftermath Footage:
- Footage revealed hundreds of distressed individuals searching for victims in the rubble.
- A man named Jabar was heard mourning the loss of his three children.
- Casualty Figures:
- Dr. Atef Al-Kahlot, director of the nearby Indonesian Hospital, reported approximately 400 total casualties.
- Rescue operations continued to search for missing individuals.
- International Reactions:
- The governments of Qatar and Jordan condemned the attack on the refugee camp.
- Displacement and Death Toll:
- Over 1 million people have been displaced due to the conflict in Gaza.
- Palestinian health officials reported over 8,500 deaths, with a potential increase expected.
- IDF Orders and Hamas’ Statement:
- The IDF ordered evacuations from northern Gaza, but many Palestinians remained in their homes or sought refuge in local hospitals.
- Hamas’ military wing announced plans to release some hostages soon, but Israel’s national security adviser, Tzahi Hanegbi, was skeptical of a “hostage deal.”
- Israel’s Situation:
- Israel is preparing for more funerals, with the IDF soldier death toll reaching 317.
The Associated Press has the story:
Desperate search for survivors after Israel hit Gaza’s largest refugee camp
Newslooks- (AP)
Desperate Palestinians were using their bare hands Tuesday to retrieve bodies buried in the ruins of a Gaza refugee camp after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes that reduced more than a dozen buildings to rubble, killed dozens and wounded hundreds of people, according to local health officials.
The Israeli military said its attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza killed senior Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari, who they said was an architect of the Oct. 7 terror attack that left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel across kibbutzim, at a music festival and throughout in the nation’s south, with hundreds more taken hostage.
“Tonight we eliminated the murderous terrorist Ibrahim Biari,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
Biari was the commander of Hamas’ Central Jabaliya Battalion and he was targeted as part of a wide-scale “strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
“During his assassination, many terrorists were killed, terrorists who stayed with him in Mena and in the underground area of the building,” Hagari said.
Hamas has denied that any of its leadership was in Jabalia at the time of the strike, which they said destroyed at least 20 homes.
AP has not independently verified Biari’s death.
Footage of the aftermath of the attack showed hundreds of anguished people clambering in and out of what appears to be several giant craters and struggling to find buried victims.
“My three kids are gone, my kids, no one is alive,” one despondent man named Jabar could be heard saying as his friends tried to console him.
Dr. Atef Al-Kahlot, director of the nearby Indonesian Hospital, said the total number of people wounded and killed is about 400.
“We are still searching for missing persons and carrying out rescue operations from under the rubble in Jabalia,” Al-Kahlot said at a press conference.
The governments of Egypt, Qatar and Jordan quickly condemned the deadly attack on the refugee camp.
More than 1 million people have been displaced by the fighting in Gaza and Palestinian health officials say more than 8,500 people have been killed. The death toll is likely to climb, officials have warned, as the Israeli ground offensive against Hamas gets underway.
Despite repeated orders from the IDF to evacuate from northern Gaza, where most of the early fighting is expected to take place, thousands of Palestinians unable to head south towards the Egyptian border have either stayed put in their homes or sought shelter in local hospitals.
Hamas’ military wing said it would release some hostages “in the coming days,” but Israel’s national security adviser, Tzahi Hanegbi, poured cold water on that saying there’s no “hostage deal in sight.”
“The end of the war is not close” because Hamas must first cease to exist, Hanegbi said.
Meanwhile, the state of Israel was bracing for more funerals as the number of IDF soldiers killed in action climbed by two Tuesday to 317.
