Thousands trapped in Gaza’s Jabalia camp as Israel continues deadly attacks

Thousands of people are trapped as Israeli forces attacked Gaza’s Jabalia camp, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said on Friday. Israel launched an attack there a week ago aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping.

At least 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in Israeli attacks in Jabalia late on Friday, which also damaged four nearby houses, medics told Reuters. They said the death toll was likely to rise.

At least 61 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said. Nearly half the deaths, including 20 killed at home, occurred in Jabalia, a northern district and the largest of Gaza’s historic refugee camps.

The Israeli army says it has killed dozens of militants in Jabalia, though it is unclear how many of the dead were civilians rather than fighters.

“Nobody is allowed to go in or out; anyone who tries is shot,” MSF project coordinator Sarah Vuylsteke said on X.

She said five MSF staff were trapped in Jabalia.

“I don’t know what to do; at any moment we could die. People are starving. I’m scared to stay, and I’m scared to leave,” she quoted MSF driver Haidar as saying.

At least 15 deaths in Jabalia since morning were caused by Israeli strikes targeting various areas, including a school sheltering displaced persons, official Palestinian news agency Wafa said, citing medical sources.

Dozens of people were injured when Israeli quadcopter drones fired at the same school, Gaza’s Civil Defense Department said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which earlier said Gaza militants used such shelters to hide. Hamas has denied this.

The Israeli army has sent troops to Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, as well as the nearby towns of Jabalia. Hamas has said it will keep fighting Israeli forces.

Palestinian health officials have so far reported at least 130 deaths in the operation, while the army has asked residents to evacuate areas where the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are trapped.

UN officials expressed concern that the ongoing Israeli offensive and evacuation orders in northern Gaza could disrupt the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign scheduled to begin next week.

Healthcare officials have reported that dozens of facilities in Gaza are under evacuation orders from the Israeli military, complicating humanitarian efforts amid the conflict.

Aid groups carried out an initial round of vaccinations last month after a child became partially paralysed in August due to type 2 poliovirus. It was the first such case in the territory in 25 years.