The town of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, has been subjected for weeks to a systematic Israeli military campaign aimed — according to eyewitness accounts — at destroying the town entirely, similar to what happened to the adjacent Jabalia refugee camp and other areas of the Strip such as Rafah and Khan Yunis.
Since the beginning of May 2025, the behaviour of the Israeli occupation army has made it clear that there is an intentional plan to demolish the town, displacing its residents and destroying its neighbourhoods and infrastructure.
Journalist Bilal Abu Khalifa describes what is happening inside the town by saying, “The occupation is not targeting specific sites; it is deliberately destroying entire residential neighbourhoods. The goal is clear: to erase the town from existence.”
Abu Khalifa told Al Jazeera Net that the town has now almost entirely become a “red zone” according to Israeli military maps, meaning it is threatened with evacuation and destruction.
A Declared Policy
Mohammad Al-Harthani, a resident of Haifa Street in central Jabalia, notes that the occupation “launched fierce military operations starting on May 2, using aerial and artillery bombardment and fire belts.” He sees what is happening not merely as a battle but as an “open plan to bulldoze the city and punish its inhabitants.”
In this context, Abu Khalifa also confirms that the occupation has succeeded in destroying 90% of eastern Jabalia, especially the Salam neighbourhood and Ezbet Abed Rabbo, while destruction in the town centre has reached about 60%.
The operation begins with evacuation orders delivered through leaflets and phone calls. Al-Harthani explains that “the Israeli army orders residents to leave their homes and then begins bombing them with warplanes,” noting that in recent days alone, more than 70 homes in Jabalia have been destroyed.
Some families that refused to evacuate were targeted inside their homes, including the Dardouna, Khudr, Asaliya, Hissi, and Dada families, among others, who lost members under the rubble — most of them women and children.
Abu Khalifa recounts how the occupation bombed a house in the Nazla area, killing 15 civilians and injuring dozens more. “These massacres have become daily events — they are a clear message to anyone thinking of staying,” he says.
Technology of Killing
The occupation resorts to terrifying technologies to carry out destruction and killing. Al-Harthani describes how “robots are used to blow up houses remotely, with explosions heard kilometres away.”
These robots consist of old military tanks and armoured personnel carriers filled with explosives and converted into remotely operated vehicles. They are driven between buildings and detonated, causing massive destruction, according to multiple testimonies.
Al-Harthani adds that locally known drones, nicknamed “quadcopters” or “the killer beast,” fly at low altitudes, firing bullets and dropping bombs on civilians while also scattering inciting leaflets.
Abu Khalifa confirms this, pointing out that these drones “trap some families in areas like Hamouda Street and Old Gaza Street, preventing them from moving.”
As the scale of destruction expands daily, the occupation army advances towards the remaining neighbourhoods and bombs them relentlessly. Both sources agree that the goal is to “reproduce the scenario of the neighbouring Jabalia camp, which was destroyed and emptied of its residents at the end of last year.”
Today, the remaining people in Jabalia face two choices: displacement or death — amid global silence on Israeli crimes and a lack of media coverage.
Media Blackout
Under the media siege and the inability of journalists to cover what is happening inside the town, the occupation executes its plan quietly and effectively. Al-Harthani stresses that “the absence of media coverage has allowed the occupation to commit crimes without oversight.”
Abu Khalifa adds, “Since the beginning of the assault, the schools of Naqab and Rafi’i, which served as shelters for the displaced, have been evacuated and bombed — just as tens of thousands of displaced people in the Halawa camp in the town centre were forced to flee towards western Gaza City.”
It is estimated that about 100,000 residents and displaced people lived in Jabalia. According to Abu Khalifa, only around 30,000 remain, mostly in the Nazla area, which is considered the least dangerous for now.
Al-Harthani describes the humanitarian situation as catastrophic, adding, “Residents are facing real famine. There is no water, no food, and the occupation continues to close crossings and block aid.”
Abu Khalifa adds, “Those who remain are suffering under siege and starvation and have issued distress calls through the Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross to evacuate the wounded or bring in food and water.”
A Dire Situation
Raed Al-Nems, spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society, says the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza — especially in Jabalia — is “extremely difficult and complex” amid continued targeting of ambulances and medical crews, whether directly or indirectly.
Al-Nems told Al Jazeera Net that the latest such attack occurred last Friday, when two paramedics from the Red Crescent teams were injured in Jabalia and were transferred to a field hospital in Gaza for treatment.
He pointed out that “such obstacles present serious challenges that directly impact the progress of rescue operations for patients and the injured alike.”
He added that repeated Israeli attacks during the current war have resulted in “dozens of Red Crescent staff being killed or injured, in addition to the arrest of a large number of paramedics — three of whom remain missing to this day.”
Al-Nems called on all international organisations and relevant parties to “pressure Israel to respect the rules of international humanitarian law and provide a safe environment for medical and emergency teams working in the field.”
He noted that the Red Crescent frequently receives reports of missing, stranded, and besieged people in various areas of the Strip, including Jabalia. He confirmed that the Society, in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations, is making intensive efforts to reach affected areas and evacuate those trapped, despite significant challenges.
One Ummah. One platform. One mission.
Your support keeps it alive.
Click here to Donate & Fund your Islamic Independent Platform
