Israel said that two top Hamas military leaders were killed in strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday in Jabalia, Gaza’s largest refugee camp.
Gaza’s Hamas-run media office reported on Thursday that at least 195 Palestinians died and 120 were missing in the two Israeli attacks on Jabalia. At least 777 were injured, it said.
Human rights officials at the United Nations stated that attacks on the camp could constitute a war crime. Palestinians combed through the rubble on Wednesday in a desperate attempt to locate survivors.
Israel’s assault and tightened blockade are making the seaside enclave desperate amid international calls for a humanitarian pause. Food, fuel, water, and medicine are scarce.
A U.S. passport holder waiting to enter Egypt on Wednesday, Dr. Fathi Abu al-Hassan, described Gaza as hell with no water, food, or shelter.
“We open our eyes on dead people, and we close our eyes on dead people,” he said.
As a result of fuel shortages, hospitals have been forced to shut down. Israel has refused to allow humanitarian fuel convoys to enter, citing concerns that Hamas fighters will divert the fuel for military purposes.
Israel claimed that the Hamas had command centers and other terrorist infrastructure under, around, and within civilian buildings, putting Gazan civilians in danger.
