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Jabalya Is Now a Ghost Town
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Since Oct. 6, 2024, the IDF has taken apart the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, with 70% of the buildings completely destroyed. According to IDF data, 96,000 Palestinian civilians were evacuated from the camp. More than 2,000 Palestinians - most of them armed - were killed and 1,500 suspected terrorists were arrested. Around 100 terrorists and a similar number of civilians still remain. Since the start of the recent operation, 35 IDF soldiers have been killed in the fighting and hundreds more wounded. After Israeli troops suffered many casualties due to entering booby-trapped houses, a different modus operandi was adopted to reduce the number of casualties. During the operation's first two weeks, Hamas terrorized residents by shooting the legs of civilians who tried leaving. The IDF then intensified its pressure and the civilians left quickly. Following Hamas's attack on Oct. 7, 2023, two stolen IDF jeeps were brought to a mosque in Jabalya carrying the bodies of seven Israelis, and a mob of Palestinians trampled on their bodies. The Jabalya operation is supposed to end in a few weeks, after one underground complex is dealt with. From Jabalya, the debate over Palestinian residents' return to northern Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal looks disconnected from reality. It will take many years to clear all the rubble and rebuild the neighborhoods.