This article in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat documents the massive destruction caused by the recent Israeli military operation in the #Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip. It describes how entire residential blocks, medical centers, #UN aid facilities, and water wells were demolished, leaving the camp in ruins.
Testimonies from returning residents like Umm Fadi (أم فادي) and Munir al-Masri (منير المصري) recount how their homes and neighborhoods were completely leveled. They accuse Israel of taking revenge on Jabalia, which has been a center of resistance.
[…] "My son and grandson were martyred during the first incursion into the camp, and now in this new incursion they destroyed our home, and destroyed all the homes of our neighbors. Even the schools were burned and large parts of them were demolished. What happened is they destroyed everything. They completely erased the camp."
[…] "The operation is clear. Its objective and results are clear. They destroyed our homes, water wells, medical clinics and schools - not #Hamas and its capabilities. The occupation even burned down and destroyed #UNRWA headquarters, leaving nothing of it remaining."
Israel claims the operation targeted Hamas' efforts to regroup in the camp. However, residents say Israel destroyed civilian infrastructure like markets and bakeries rather than just Hamas capabilities. But its actions show intent to erase signs of life in Jabalia. One merchant says shops and stalls were deliberately burned down, and another woman says Israel executed her brothers.
With ongoing rescue efforts by civil defense crews to recover bodies from the rubble, the Israeli operation comes across as involving widespread and indiscriminate destruction in the camp, far beyond its stated military targets.