Limited withdrawal of Israeli military vehicles from Jabalia reveals wide scale of damage

By Mohammad Majid

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army's military vehicles have carried out a limited pullout from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, revealing a wide scale of destruction in the camp's homes and infrastructure.

On May 12, the Israeli army started a major ground operation in the camp, forcing thousands to flee their areas toward the western Gaza City. The camp also witnessed fierce clashes with Palestinian resistance groups.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that a limited pullout of the Israeli military vehicles was seen on Thursday in the southern and western areas of Jabalia, but still present in the camp's eastern and northern areas.

The Israeli fire opening and artillery shelling are still heard in the camp, the witnesses added.

The military vehicles' withdrawal from parts of the camp revealed an "immense destruction" in the homes, along with the burning of dozens of others by the Israeli soldiers.

Meanwhile, a local emergency committee in northern Gaza urged people not to return to their homes and areas in the camp under the current situation.

It added that the Israeli army's drones -- known as quadcopters -- opened fire on people returning to the camp in addition to the hazard remnants left by the Israeli forces.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 last year following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

More than 36,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,800 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar