**Jabalya Refugee Camp, Gaza: A Shelter Turned into a Battlefield**
Since the start of the Israeli ground operation in the Jabalya refugee camp, scenes of terror and despair continue to unfold before our eyes. Videos captured and shared online show civilians fleeing in droves, some carrying their children at arm’s length, others painfully carrying their meager possessions. The incessant noise of drones, automatic fire and explosions in the background creates an atmosphere of immeasurable chaos and panic.
Images filmed from the roofs of Jabalya reveal a landscape devastated by intense exchanges of fire. Exhausted and terrified civilians try to escape from this improvised war zone. UNRWA schools, supposed to be safe havens, are now surrounded by Israeli tanks, forcing residents to flee to other facilities.
The testimonies collected on site reveal the horror experienced by the inhabitants of Jabalya. Some claim to have been directly targeted by Israeli fire, including medical personnel desperately trying to evacuate the wounded and dead. Ambulances, symbols of emergency aid, have become potential targets, endangering lives already in danger.
Fares Afarna, director of ambulance services in northern Gaza, told Al Jazeera that their task has become extremely dangerous. Ambulance teams managed to evacuate a considerable number of injured and dead bodies, redirecting victims to the few hospitals still operational in the region.
Israeli authorities justify this offensive by arguing the need to dismantle the Hamas terrorist infrastructure which is reassembling in the region. However, the consequences on civilians, trapped in this bloody conflict, are undeniable. Suffering, fear and desolation reign supreme in Jabalya, transforming a place of refuge into a battlefield.
Beyond the figures and official statements, it is crucial to remember that behind every evacuated body, every destroyed building, there are broken lives and torn families. The real tragedy of Jabalya is that of these men, women and children who struggle to survive in a world that has abandoned them to their sad fate. The international community must act, condemn this violence and demand justice for the innocent trapped in the war. May the cry of pain of the inhabitants of Jabalya resonate throughout the world, calling for an end to this spiral of violence and suffering which is tearing Gaza apart.