JERUSALEM – Israeli air strikes on al-Bureij refugee camp and Jabalia town in central and northern Gaza killed at least 17 people on January 1, 2025, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment, although its Arabic spokesperson on social media warned residents of al-Bureij to evacuate ahead of an imminent strike against militants firing rockets from the area. The military also announced the killing of Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Hamas militant involved in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel1.
The instruction to clear the al-Bureij camp has caused a new wave of displacement, with Palestinian and UN officials stating that no place is safe in Gaza and that evacuations worsen the humanitarian conditions. According to the Palestinian civil defence, more than 1,500 tents sheltering displaced people across Gaza were flooded by heavy rain, leaving people exposed to the cold and their belongings damaged1.
Israel’s Gaza campaign has resulted in over 45,500 deaths, with most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people displaced and much of the coastal strip in ruins. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage1.