Israeli attacks have intensified in recent days, with refugee camps in Gaza becoming the primary targets. The Bureij refugee camp was hit by an Israeli air strike, resulting in the death of 15 people. This marks the third bombing of a camp in as many days. According to Gaza Civil Defence, the strike on Thursday targeted a residential building, leaving scores of people trapped beneath the rubble. Survivors described the scene as chaotic, with everything flying around them, and the area completely devastated.
The Bureij refugee camp, located in the densely populated Gaza Strip, is home to approximately 46,000 Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Over the past few days, Israel has conducted multiple strikes on refugee camps in Gaza, often targeting areas with high population density. Israel claims to be targeting Hamas commanders in response to deadly attacks carried out by the group on southern Israel. However, the Israeli bombing campaign has faced criticism for its impact on civilians, as entire city blocks are leveled and access to essential resources such as food, fuel, and electricity is severely restricted.
Palestinian authorities have reported over 9,000 deaths and more than half of Gaza’s population displaced as a result of the ongoing bombings. In addition to the Bureij camp, the Jabalia camp was also struck for the third consecutive day on Thursday. The Palestinian authorities stated that the strikes on Jabalia have so far claimed the lives of 195 people, with 120 individuals still missing. The UN high commissioner for human rights has expressed concerns that these “disproportionate attacks” may constitute war crimes.
The residents of Bureij expressed their anguish, chanting “a massacre, a massacre,” as they covered the bodies of the victims with blankets. Like many other camps in Gaza, Bureij was initially established to accommodate Palestinian refugees who were displaced by Zionist forces during the creation of Israel in 1948. These refugees, who primarily came from Palestinian towns east of Gaza, were barred from returning to their homes.
The ongoing Israeli air strikes on Gaza’s refugee camps have raised international concerns about the proportionality of the attacks and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. The situation calls for urgent attention and diplomatic efforts to address the escalating violence and protect the lives of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
