Three countries in the Middle East have decried Israel’s recent air strikes on Gaza City, with one striking an established refugee camp as its war on Hamas rebels continues.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) all issued statements shortly after the attack to condemn Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, for attacking the camp.
The exact number of casualties is not clear; however, reports from one doctor within Gaza City claimed hundreds were killed and wounded in the attack.
Qatar described the strike as “a new massacre against the defenceless Palestinian people, especially women and children”, which is “a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations”.
Saudi Arabia echoed Qatar’s sentiments, condemning its neighbouring nation of Israel in “the strongest terms” for its “inhumane … targeting of Jabaliya camp”.
The nation added: “The dangerous humanitarian conditions resulting from the continuous escalation cannot be justified at all, and sparing blood, protecting civilians, and stopping military operations are urgent priorities.”
The UAE issued its own stern diplomatic warning to Israel after only having normalised relations in 2020 after decades of historic mistrust and tension.
The Arab nation said: “Indiscriminate attacks will result in irreparable ramifications in the region.”
As per the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine, there are 116,011 refugees registered as living in the camp as of 2023.
That number, however, is expected to be higher as many of those who live there may not be registered with the UN agency.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’s ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following its bloody October 7 rampage, which ignited the war.
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza, the first military deaths it reported since the ground offensive into the tiny Mediterranean territory accelerated late last week.
Several hundred thousand Palestinians remain in northern Gaza in the path of the ground assault. They have crowded into homes or are packed by the thousands in hospitals, already overwhelmed with patients and running low on supplies.
In the Jabaliya refugee camp – a densely built-up area of small streets on Gaza City’s outskirts – footage of the scene from Al-Jazeera TV showed at least four large craters where buildings once stood, amid a large swathe of rubble surrounded by partially collapsed structures.
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