Israeli strike on northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp kills 22

Thousands trapped as Israeli military issues evacuation orders for residents to move towards the south of the enclave.

At least 22 people, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as Israeli forces press on with their ground assault in the area.

As the death toll mounted on Saturday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza with instructions for residents near Jabalia to evacuate to the south of the enclave.

The Israel military launched a deadly offensive in the Jabalia area a week ago which it claims is aimed at stopping Palestinian group Hamas from regrouping. The attacks have trapped thousands of Palestinian civilians, international charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said.

Hamas on Saturday slammed the Israeli army and said its “massacres are a continuation of the ongoing criminal genocide against our people, shielded by American support”.

The attack that wounded more than 90 people was an attempt to “punish the population for their resilience and rejection of displacement”, the group said in a statement.