At Least 50 Killed and 150 Wounded in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Refugee Camp

At least 50 people were killed and 150 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said the attack targeted a Hamas “terrorist stronghold” and killed senior Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari, who they said was responsible for a terror attack in October that left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel.

Desperate civilians in Gaza scrambled for food as civil order broke down in the aftermath of the airstrike, which reduced more than a dozen buildings to rubble. Palestinians were using their bare hands to retrieve bodies buried in the ruins of the camp.

The director of Gaza’s Indonesian hospital told Al Jazeera that at least 50 people were killed and 150 were wounded in the bombardment, the Reuters news agency reported. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement, “Tonight we eliminated the murderous terrorist Ibrahim Biari.”

The airstrike has sparked international condemnation, with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions in the region. The UN has also called for an independent investigation into the airstrike.

The airstrike is the latest in a series of escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, which have been ongoing since the October terror attack. The UN has warned that further violence could lead to a full-scale conflict in the region.