(NewsSpace.com) – Nearly three months after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, the war continues. Israel has gone on the offensive, looking to eradicate the militant group. In doing so, its forces have launched both air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip. A recent airstrike reportedly killed 100 people in a refugee camp.
On Wednesday, December 13, Israel announced it had hit a command and control complex used by Hamas in Jabalya. Hamas, in turn, said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had killed dozens of people and injured many more. Particularly, an airstrike hit the Jabalya refugee camp, the largest of eight in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 116,000 Palestinians live there.
Health Ministry Director-General Munir Al-Bursh spoke with CNN, saying at least 110 people died as a result of the attack and they had since been buried, noting that there were probably more under the rubble. Al-Bursh reportedly shot a video of the devastation, which showed dead children lying on the ground, several covered in white cloth. Though the ministry doesn’t distinguish military from civilians, the director-general said most of the deaths were those of women and children.
The IDF hasn’t commented on the airstrike but insists it is acting in accordance with international law. That hasn’t stopped growing concern about the humanitarian toll this war is taking. In fact, Office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk previously said after Israel’s first airstrike on October 31, there are “serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks in breach of international humanitarian law.”
Washington has also brought up the concern, urging Israel to be mindful of civilian casualties and take steps to minimize such deaths. The US has sent weapons, including ammunition, air defense systems, precision-guided munitions, and artillery, and the Pentagon is guiding, not directing, the Jewish state through the use of them.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have condemned the attack on the refugee camp.
Copyright 2023, NewsSpace.com
