This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows Palestinians looking for survivors in a crater following a stike on a refugee camp in Jabalia on the northern Gaza Strip, on October 31, 2023, amid relentless Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian territory. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said at least 50 people were killed on October 31 in Israeli bombardment of the refugee camp in the Palestinian territory. (Photo by Fadi Alwhidi / AFP)
Palestinian Territories 鈥斅燗n Israeli strike on Gaza鈥檚 largest refugee camp killed at least 47 people Tuesday, including, Israel said, a Hamas commander involved in the October 7 attacks.
A large explosion ripped through the densely packed Jabalia camp before nightfall, tearing facades off nearby buildings and leaving a deep, debris-littered crater.
Wails filled the air as hundreds of bystanders and volunteers clawed at concrete blocks and twisted metal looking for survivors.
AFP witnessed at least 47 corpses being recovered.
Horrified resident Ragheb Aqal, 41, likened the explosion to 鈥渁n earthquake鈥� and spoke of seeing 鈥渉omes buried under the rubble and body parts and martyrs and wounded in huge numbers鈥�.
Israel said its warplanes had struck a 鈥渧ast鈥� tunnel complex at the site, killing 鈥渕any Hamas terrorists鈥�, including local battalion commander Ibrahim Biari.
Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus described Biari as 鈥減ivotal in the planning and execution鈥� of Hamas raids into Israel last month that killed 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Israel鈥檚 leaders have vowed to 鈥渃rush鈥� Hamas in retribution for the worst attack in the country鈥檚 history.
But Tuesday鈥檚 strike is sure to fuel anger at Israel鈥檚 prosecution of the war, and the toll on Palestinian civilians.
Gaza鈥檚 Hamas-run health ministry denounced the incident as 鈥渁 heinous Israeli massacre鈥� and said an initial toll of 50 dead and 150 wounded was sure to rise.
The ministry claims that in three-plus weeks of Israeli bombing has killed more than 8,500 people in Gaza, two-thirds of them women and children.
Earlier, Bolivia had said it was severing diplomatic ties with Israel as a 鈥渞epudiation and condemnation鈥� of the Gaza offensive.
And Qatar warned that expanded strikes would 鈥渦ndermine mediation and de-escalation efforts鈥�.
Doha hosts several senior Hamas officials and is a key channel in trying to secure the release of some 240 hostages believed to have been taken by Palestinian militants on October 7.
Saudi Arabia also criticised the strike, with its foreign ministry issuing a statement saying it condemned 鈥渋n the strongest terms possible the inhumane targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of the Jabalia refugee camp鈥�.
But there is little sign of the conflict abating.
As the aerial war continued, Israel said two soldiers were killed as troops engaged in 鈥渇ierce battles鈥� with Hamas militants 鈥渄eep inside the Gaza Strip鈥�
Hamas鈥檚 armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has vowed to turn Gaza into a 鈥済raveyard鈥� for invading forces.
No ceasefire
Aid groups and the United Nations warned time is running out for many of the territory鈥檚 2.4 million people denied access to food, water, fuel and medicine.
Surgeons are conducting amputations on hospital floors without anaesthetic, and children are forced to drink salty water, said Jean-Francois Corty, vice-president of Medecins du Monde, which has 20 staff on the ground.
The Palestinian telecommunications agency said Wednesday that phone and internet services had 鈥渂een completely cut off in Gaza鈥�, the second such blackout in a week.
Israel鈥檚 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed international calls for a humanitarian ceasefire.
He said they amount to 鈥渁 call for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism鈥�.
鈥淭his will not happen,鈥� he said.
Israeli officials said that 70 trucks with aid were allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt on Tuesday.
That is one of the biggest flows since a US-brokered deal was reached, but much less than humanitarian groups say is needed.
Israel fears that food, water, and medicine coming into Gaza could be diverted to Hamas, or that aid shipments could conceal arms or other supplies.
As a result, Israeli security personnel carry out stringent inspections that have slowed the flow of aid to a trickle.
Sources in Cairo said the Rafah crossing would soon be open to allow wounded Palestinians to get treatment.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said at least 50 people were killed on October 31 in Israeli bombardment of the refugee camp in the Palestinian territory. (Photo by Fadi Alwhidi / AFP)
鈥楴o words鈥�
As Israel steps up its assault on Gaza, the families of hostages are struggling with an unbearable wait for news of relatives thought to be held in the labyrinth of tunnels deep below Gaza.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hell. There are no words to express this,鈥� said Hadas Kalderon as she walked past the blackened homes of kibbutz Nir Oz.
There gunmen killed her mother and niece and kidnapped her 12-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any control and knowledge about army actions, I just know my children are still there in the middle of a war,鈥� said the 56-year-old.
Israelis also face a daily barrage of aerial attacks from Hamas and other Iran-backed groups around the Middle East.
Yemen鈥檚 Huthi rebels said they had 鈥渓aunched a large batch of ballistic missiles鈥� and a large number of armed aircraft鈥� towards Israel on Tuesday.
Israel鈥檚 military said a 鈥渉ostile aircraft intrusion鈥� had set off warning sirens in Eilat, its Red Sea resort and a surface-to-surface missile was 鈥渟uccessfully intercepted.鈥�
In the north, Israel has traded near-daily fire with Lebanon鈥檚 Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.