Palestinians search for survivors at the site of an airstrike made by Israeli occupation forces on the scorched land at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31. Photo: Anas al-Shareef/Reuters.
Airstrikes from the Israeli occupation forces have devastated the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, according to a report made by Al Jazeera citing the director of Gaza Civil Defense, Ahmad al-Kahlout. “These buildings house hundreds of citizens,” he stressed, adding that the Israeli Air Force “destroyed this district with six US-made bombs.”
al-Kahlout stated that the attack made this Tuesday, October 31, by the Israeli entity’s military wing, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), against the refugee camp is “the latest massacre caused by Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.” The Palestinian official added that it is imperative for “the international community [to] act immediately to stop Israel before it is too late.”
Israeli occupation forces confirmed the airstrike against the Jabalia refugee camp and claimed that Ibrahim Biari, commander of the Jabalia Central Battalion of Hamas, lost his life, despite the fact that Hamas spokespeople have denounced those claims as false.
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The Israeli entity’s forces claimed that “the attack damaged Hamas’ command and control in the area, as well as its ability to direct military activity against occupation soldiers operating throughout the Gaza Strip,” and further claimed that numerous resistance fighters were killed alongside Biari. Occupation spokespeople also claimed that the bombing caused the collapse of underground tunnels used by the Palestinian Resistance, bringing down several nearby buildings and killing dozens of civilians.
Occupation spokesman Richard Hecht said the death of civilians in the Jabalia refugee camp following the attacks was simply a “tragedy of war,” and attempted to justify the murder of civilians by the Israeli entity by claiming that Hamas hides behind civilians.
“It is a massive massacre”
Due to the large scale of destruction, it is not yet clear the precise number of people who have been killed or injured due to the Israeli occupation’s bombing. However, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza has told Al Jazeera that “more than 50 people have died so far,” adding that the hospital was still counting the victims.
Other sources on the ground indicate that the occupation forces’ bombardment destroyed 15 civilian buildings and massacred about 100 people, as well as injuring over 300. The Al Jazeera correspondent, on the ground in Gaza, has indicated that “it is difficult to count the number of buildings that have been destroyed” in the camp, noting that “it is a massive massacre.” Rescuers and volunteers are searching for possible survivors among the enormous amounts of rubble from the destroyed buildings.
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According to UN data, the Jabalia camp is the largest of the eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and is located in the north of the enclave, near a town with the same name. The population of the camp, before the latest escalation of Israeli violence, stood at 107,590 inhabitants.
Venezuela protests strongly
Venezuela issued a statement to categorically condemn the Israeli occupation entity’s attack on the Jabalia Refugee Camp. Venezuela has severed diplomatic relations at all levels with the Israeli entity since 2009.
The statement further calls for an immediate ceasefire and rejects “the systematic violation of the principles underlying international humanitarian law” in addition to “the non-observance of the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, by the occupying forces of Israel.”
Below is the unofficial translation of the statement:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically rejects the genocide undertaken by Israel against the Palestinian people, with a new attack on the Jabalia Refugee Camp, north of the Gaza Strip, which has left more than a hundred dead this October 31.
Venezuela, once again repudiates the systematic violation of the principles contemplated in international humanitarian law and the non-observance of the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, by the occupying forces of Israel, which constitutes a war crime, which must be independently investigated by international bodies, so that those responsible are brought to justice.
The Bolivarian government reiterates the call to establish an immediate ceasefire, stop the atrocities committed by Israel against civilian populations and to seek immediate solutions in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, which allow peace, the security and dignity of the inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.
Caracas, October 31, 2023
(Alba Ciudad)Â with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
