Israel's Bombing of Jabalia Refugee Camp | News

Seeking Refuge

Today, we are discussing the current conditions of Jabalia Refugee Camp and the situation in Gaza.

Script:

Hi everyone, I’m Anusha and you’re listening to Seeking Refuge News, a podcast sharing the human stories of refugees. Today, we are here to update you on the conditions of Jabalia (ji-bah-li-ya) Refugee Camp, located on the north end of the Gaza Strip, which is where the Israeli Army has carried out one of the deadliest bombings yet. (Al Jazeera)

On Tuesday, October 31st, Israeli forces began the bombing of Jabalia refugee camp, killing over 50 and injuring hundreds, and was followed by five more air raids that all hit residential areas of the camp. These actions sparked backlash from many Arab Nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the UAE. The air raid on Tuesday was followed by another bombing on Wednesday, the second blast destroying over 20 buildings, according to the Washington Post. These air raids came amid Israeli’s bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed 10,022 people, including more than 4,104 children, since the fighting began on October 7th, according to Palestinian authorities. Over 70% of the deaths are reported to be women and children, says CNN.

For context, Jabalia Refugee Camp is a densely populated area that was established after the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes that became a part of the newly established State of Israel and were later denied return. Now, the area is composed of crowded shops, apartments, and houses packed so close together that the streets in between them are barely wide enough for a car to pass, according to CNN. People living in close quarters like this makes missiles even more detrimental to the camp. There is now a massive crater in the center of the camp, and the injured are looking for a safe place to go.

According to a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the initial airstirke was “successful” in killing several members of Hamas, including Ibrahim Biari, whom Israel describes as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the attacks on Israel on October 7th. Several sources report the Israeli military announcing that the attacks killed him, however, Hazzem Qassem, a spokesperson for Hamas, has denied the presence of any senior commander and deemed this claim “an Israeli excuse for killing civilians.” This back and forth has been very common in the weeks following the Israeli offensive in Gaza, with claims of Hamas commanders hiding in hospitals, ambulances, and residential areas, while Hamas claims this is not the case.

It is becoming increasingly hard for the international community to discern what is the truth. However, one reaction from the international community is becoming more prevalent, and that is, even if there are senior Hamas commanders hiding among citizens, does that warrant airstrikes on the whole areas, killing and endangering more women and children? The answer would be no, according to international law. The United Nations Human Rights Office has weighed in, saying that these attacks on Jabalya, “could amount to war crimes” considering “the high number of civilian casualties and the scale of the destruction,” which was reported by CNN’s social media. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres (goo-tersh), said in a statement that he was, “deeply alarmed by the intensification of the conflict.” International humanitarian law, he said, “is not an a la carte menu and cannot be applied selectively.” (Washington Post).

The news is developing rapidly in Gaza, therefore many of the numbers and figures we’ve used could already be outdated, so we encourage our listeners to do their research and stay up to date on the current events in the region. We will do our best to continue to report on this news as the situation progresses. Again, I’m Anusha, and thank you for listening to Seeking Refuge News.

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Our Team:

Claire Mattes (Scriptwriter) Shireen Kaur Anusha Ghosh (Host/Editor/Publisher) Thrisha Mote (Researcher) Rohit Swain Victoria Halsey Diana Clark Saanvi Somani Emily Jensen Yatin Nerella