Jabalia Refugee Camp And How Its Being Targeted By Israeli Forces

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, an Israeli airstrike on Al-Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza on October 9, 2024 has resulted in the deaths of at least 15 individuals. The hospital is currently sheltering families who have been displaced and are living in tents.

The Jabalia refugee camp was established by the United Nations in 1948 to accommodate Palestinians who were displaced during the Nakba, which refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine that year. Located in northern Gaza, it is near a village of the same name and has historically been the most densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, hosting 26 schools operated by UNRWA.

During the initial weeks of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the camp experienced multiple strikes, including an attack on a school where thousands of displaced Palestinians were taking refuge. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 50 people were killed and 150 injured in that incident.

The Israeli military stated that the strike aimed at Hamas militants and claimed that many were killed in a “vast underground tunnel complex” beneath the camp. In December, another Israeli attack on Jabalia resulted in at least 90 Palestinian deaths, leaving the area devastated.

In early February 2024, Israeli forces withdrew from northern Gaza, asserting that they had dismantled Hamas as a military presence in that region. However, in May, they re-entered northern Gaza and resumed their assaults on Jabalia.