Israeli aircraft strikes Gaza refugee camp second time

The UN has issued a warning that attacks against the crowded Jabalia refugee camp “may amount to war crimes.”

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Israel assassinated another well-known Hamas leader on Wednesday in its second bombing in two days that targeted the crowded Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza.

Muhammad A’sar, the chief leader of the Palestinian terrorist group’s anti-tank missile section, was killed when a fighter jet targeted a Hamas compound in the Jabalia refugee camp, according to the Israeli Defence Forces. The strike was carried out “based on precise intelligence.” This comes after an attack on the camp a few hours earlier, which Israel claims killed Ibrahim Biari, a major player in planning the attack on the Jewish state on October 7.

Israel released a statement saying, “Hamas deliberately builds its terror infrastructure under, around, and within civilian buildings, intentionally endangering Gazan civilians.” Although the number of casualties from the most recent attack has not yet been released by Gazan officials, Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, the head of the hospital located in Indonesia in Gaza, told CNN that at least 80 people had perished.

According to Palestinian health sources, the bombing on Tuesday resulted in around 50 fatalities and 150 injuries. None of Hamas’s leaders were reportedly present at the Jabalia camp, according to the group.

The airstrike on Wednesday, a witness told Reuters, was a “massacre.” After the explosion in the Falluja neighbourhood of Gaza’s largest refugee camp, which left a deep crater and demolished structures, rescue workers looked for survivors among the debris, CNN said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Human Rights Commission posted on the social networking platform X (previously Twitter) that airstrikes against the Jabalia refugee camp “may amount to war crimes.”

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“The office expressed serious concerns that the Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp may have resulted in war crimes due to the significant number of civilian casualties and the extent of destruction.”

At least 9,000 people have died as a result of Israel’s bombardment of the besieged coastal enclave in reprisal for Hamas’ onslaught on October 7, according to information provided by the local health ministry. Approximately 70% of those slain were women, children, or elderly, the report stated on Monday.

Numerous nations and humanitarian experts have denounced Israel’s prolonged and intensified attack on Gaza, and more lately, on the Jabalia camp specifically. Jordan withdrew its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday, joining Chile and Colombia in making a similar decision. Bolivia, alleging that Israel has committed “crimes against humanity,” has cut diplomatic ties with the state.

Following a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territory, UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths urged on both sides to observe international humanitarian law on Wednesday. Craig Mokhiber, the director of the UN human rights office (OHCHR), resigned from his position on Tuesday, citing the agency’s “failure” to stop a “text-book case of genocide” in Gaza.