Israel Ends Operations In Northern Gaza, 70 Percent Of Jabaliya Refugee Camps Are Destroyed

IDF Tanks in North Gaza Jabaliya (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli forces have ended combat operations in the North Gaza region after destroying more than 10 kilometers of tunnels during fierce fighting involving more than 200 airstrikes, the military said on Friday.

In an update on more than two weeks of fierce fighting in Jabaliya, the Israeli military said troops had completed their operations and were withdrawn to prepare for another operation in Gaza.

During the operation, troops found the bodies of seven of the 250 hostages kidnapped by Hamas-led militants in an attack on Israel's southern region on October 7, 2023.

The operation there was carried out by Israel's 98th Division of Defense Forces (IDF), describing fighting in Jabaliya as one of the most intense in the midst of an ongoing war, quoted by The Times of Israel.

The IDF estimates it killed about 500-600 militants during operations in Jabaliya. Only 350 have been verified so far, following fighting and airstrikes.

Citing The National News, Jabaliya is the largest refugee camp of eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations. After the 1948 war, the refugees settled there, most of whom had fled villages in the southern Palestinian region that became Israel.

"About 70 percent of the Jabalia camp has been completely destroyed, with 800 houses destroyed," Mahmoud Bassal, a civil defense spokesman north of the Gaza Strip, told The National.