The Israel Defense Forces have attacked multiple civilian targets in the last week — including refugee camps and an ambulance convoy — killing more than 200 Palestinians, according to government sources in Gaza, as Israel prosecutes its war against Hamas.
The IDF targeted the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, which has a registered population of just over 116,000, at least three times in the last week, as well as Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances near the Al Shifa hospital. The IDF claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were necessary to destroy Hamas’ tunnel-based infrastructure, come amid increasing calls for a ceasefire and mass pro-Palestinian protests in cities throughout the world.
The IDF claims that it has thus far killed 10 Hamas commanders responsible for attacks against Israeli troops. Hamas is responsible for the devastating October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Hamas is still holding around 240 hostages from 35 different countries, including the US, in Gaza. But the full-throated support for Israel from the international community that the attacks initially brought has faded somewhat as the humanitarian crisis has grown in Gaza. Political leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have both called for “pauses” in the fighting to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuation in the territory. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have dismissed the calls to prioritize civilian safety in their operations, saying the attacks in Gaza will continue until Hamas is defeated and the hostages are returned.
The United Nations has condemned both Hamas’ October 7 attack and Israeli attacks on Gaza, with the UN High Commission for Human Rights warning that Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya “are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.”
The IDF also targeted a convoy of…
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