Israel-Hamas conflict: Israel attacked the largest refugee camp in Gaza

The Israeli military on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp, the largest in Gaza, and said one of the top Hamas leaders responsible for the October 7 attack was killed.

In a post on Twitter, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, “IDF warplanes killed Ibrahim Biari, commander of Hamas’s Central Jabalia Battalion. Biari was one of the leaders responsible for the terrorist attack on 7 October.

“Israel damaged Hamas command and control in the area and killed a large number of militants who were with Biari. Furthermore, the underground terrorist infrastructure collapsed after the attack. “The IDF reiterated its call for residents of the area to move south for their own safety.”

According to the United Nations, Jabalia is the largest of the eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. Defending Tuesday’s airstrike, IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the refugee camp was targeted to kill Biari. He was actively coordinating, conducting and leading combat activities against the IDF. Again, IDF spokesman said Biari’s activities date back to 2004, when he masterminded an attack in Ashdod that killed 13 Israelis. Tuesday’s attack also killed dozens of Hamas fighters and caused underground tunnels beneath the camp to collapse, Conricus said.

Conricus said the IDF had considered all factors “including the possibility of non-combatants being affected” when carrying out the attack. The spokesman said the military had informed citizens to leave the area through leaflets, messages on social media and radio dispatches. “I want to emphasize that the target of the attack was a center of military activity,” Conricus said.

“Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF said its troops had targeted a stronghold of Hamas militants in Jabalia, which was used for training and carrying out terrorist activities.Troops killed approximately 50 terrorists in ground attacks, while also destroying terrorist tunnels and weapons entrances,” the IDF said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Hamas has denied that any of its members were present at the camp during the attack. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of killing civilians, children and women living in the Jabalia camp. According to the Gaza-based Interior Ministry, at least 20 houses were completely destroyed in the attack. Many Arab countries have condemned the attack on the Jabalia camp.

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