Status: 02.11.2023, 12:41 p.m.
By: Tadhg Nagel
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Israel's army is again bombing Hamas positions in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The UN expresses "serious concerns".
Jabalia - Numerous people were killed in the renewed Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp during the war in Israel on Wednesday (01 November). According to the Israeli army, the leader of the anti-tank missile unit of the Islamist Hamas militia, Muhammad A'sar, was also killed.
A day earlier, Ibrahim Biari had been killed in an air strike on the camp in Gaza, according to the Israeli army. Biari is believed to be the ringleader of the October 7 attack on Israel. According to the Hamas-led Palestinian Ministry of Health, 50 people were killed and another 150 injured in the first attack.
The Jabalia refugee camp after the Israeli air strikes. © IMAGO/Anas Jamal
Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, head of an Indonesian hospital in the Gaza Strip, said on Wednesday (Nov. 01) that at least 80 bodies had been brought to the hospital after the second bombardment. Others are being rescued from the rubble. Most of the victims were women and children, and hundreds more were injured. This was reported by the US news channel CNN.
"Serious concerns" about huge destruction in Gaza City
A witness had described the attack as a "massacre", according to the Reuters news agency. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, then questioned the proportionality of the attacks on the social media platform X (formerly: Twitter). "Given the high number of civilian casualties and the scale of the destruction," Türk said, "there are serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes."
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had attacked Hamas' command and control post in Jabalia on the basis of accurate information. The aim was to kill Muhammad A'sar, which was achieved. At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces pointed out that Hamas was "deliberately building its terror infrastructure under, around and in civilian buildings" and was "deliberately endangering the civilian population of the Gaza Strip." IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari blamed Hamas' tunnels for the enormous extent of the damage. "Due to the extensive underground infrastructure," there was "destruction in other buildings."
Hamas Facilities Deliberately Near Civilian Facilities - Buildings Still Serve Civilians
Hamas has long been accused of deliberately building its facilities near civilian buildings. The Israeli news channel i24 News had already reported in July last year on material released by the Israeli army that had inferred conclusions about underground Hamas tunnels near a Pepsi factory and a UNRWA school. In addition, an entrance to a terrorist tunnel network near the Islamic University of Gaza was seen, as well as a weapons depot near a mosque and a UNRWA clinic. This shows that Hamas is carrying out "its attacks from population centers on population centers," Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said at the time.
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The British newspaper The Guardian also stressed last week that Hamas, like many other urban forces, is known for exploiting the cover of hospitals, schools and high-rise residential buildings. At the same time, it was pointed out that the UN and other international actors had emphasized that these buildings primarily serve the civilian population.
Numerous buildings destroyed in Gaza - ICC urges compliance with international law
According to a UN report, more than a quarter of homes in the Gaza Strip have now been damaged by airstrikes. About three percent have been completely destroyed or become uninhabitable. Aerial photos released by Die Zeit show the enormous extent of the damage in Gaza. The entire area is covered by craters. It is not clear from the pictures who is responsible for the damage, according to the report. Nor would the recordings allow any conclusions to be drawn about the dead and injured.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Three weeks after the almost complete blockade by Israel, basic services have collapsed, according to the Guardian. People are at risk of severe disease outbreaks as the streets are flooded with sewage. Food, water and medicine are in short supply. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said on Sunday that the court had opened investigations into alleged crimes committed by both sides in the war. He also called for the urgency of aid deliveries: "There should be no obstacle to humanitarian aid deliveries to [...] civilians". International law must be upheld, Khan said. (tpn)