Israel airstrikes Jabalia refugee camp for second time, kills Hamas commander

According to Reuters news agency, the Israeli military said that based on accurate intelligence, fighter jets attacked the Hamas command and control complex in Jabalia, killing the commander of Hamas' anti-tank missile unit, Muhammad A'sar.

“Hamas deliberately builds infrastructure under, around and inside civilian buildings, deliberately endangering Gaza civilians,” the Israeli statement said. Hamas has denied this information.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Government Media Office has released updated figures on the victims of two Israeli bombings of the Jabalia refugee camp on October 31 and November 1. According to the report, the Jabalia airstrikes killed at least 195 Palestinians, with 120 still missing and possibly buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings. There were 777 injured.

Israel announced that the first attack killed Ibrahim Biari - the leader of the attack on Israel on October 7.

Israel has been condemned after carrying out two air strikes on the Jabalia camp. UN human rights officials said the Israeli operation could amount to a war crime. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on social media X: “Given the high number of civilian casualties and the scale of destruction following Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, we are deeply concerned that these attacks may constitute war crimes.”

On November 1, the Argentine government condemned Israel's attack on the Jabalia refugee camp, stressing that there is no justification for Israel's violation of international humanitarian law and its obligation to protect civilians in armed conflicts. In a statement, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said that the government recognizes Israel's legitimate right to self-defense, but that Tel Aviv must immediately stop attacks on civilian infrastructure, especially those providing essential services in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, water treatment plants and refugee reception centers.

The Arab League (AL) and Jordan on October 31 strongly reacted to Israel's airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp. AL Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit issued a statement strongly condemning the action and calling on the international community to join in calling for an end to violence in the Gaza Strip.

Sharing the same view with the AL chief, Jordan's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack and accused Israel of being responsible for this dangerous development. In addition, Amman also criticized Israel's continuous policy of escalating tensions in the West Bank and the increasing trend of attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinian civilians.

Qatar also condemned the airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp, warning that further attacks on Palestinian lands would undermine reconciliation efforts. Qatar’s foreign ministry warned that it would oppose “Israel’s expansion of its attacks on the Gaza Strip to include civilian targets.”

In a statement on the same day, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrike on Jabalia camp in the strongest terms, warning of the consequences of continuing to carry out indiscriminate attacks on defenseless civilians.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on November 1 called for the protection of children, as well as expressed outrage at the suffering of children in the conflict in the Middle East.

On October 31, the spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) James Elder said that 3,450 children in Gaza have been killed by the bombings and that the number will continue to rise every day. Mr. Elder warned that Gaza has become a "graveyard" of children, and a hell for those living in this land. He said that many children could have been saved from the bombings.