Israeli air strikes hit refugee camps as Gaza marks one year of war

Three people killed in bombings at Nuseirat and Bureij displacement shelters

Palestinians flee Israeli air strikes on Jabilia in the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday with all they can carry. Reuters

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Three people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli air strikes on the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps in Gaza on Monday, official Palestinian media reported, as the enclave marked one year of war.

The strikes were followed hours later by rockets fired by Hamas that reached the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Israeli media said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 8 last year, at least 41,900 Palestinians have been killed and more than 97,300 have been injured. The toll is incomplete as thousands more remain under rubble, health and emergency authorities have said.

In northern Gaza on Monday, families were trapped for a second day as Israel intensified its ground invasion. At the Jabilia refugee camp, Israeli forces surrounded homes in Al Zaytoun neighbourhood and armoured vehicles advanced, residents told The National.

People sent appeals for ambulances and other emergency crews to evacuate them – something that has proven impossible under Israeli bombardment and siege. The remains of thousands of people are thought to be trapped, out of reach of recovery parties.

Mohammad Hussein, 37, said he spent the night on the street after being displaced from his home in the Jabilia camp.

“We fled yesterday afternoon after the army had surrounded us for more than 12 hours. We managed to leave on foot, taking long and winding routes to reach a safer place because army snipers and drones are chasing people everywhere,” he told The National.

Previously, Hussein and his family, including his elderly mother, would seek shelter from threats at a school in Al Saftawi area – but now the school has become too dangerous to reach, he said. “We decided to spend the night on the street. We spread some fabric we brought from home at the entrance of a store and slept on it until the morning.”

The night was “extremely difficult” with constant shelling and the smell of sewage and decaying rubbish, he added. The UN estimates there are 330,000 tonnes of untreated solid waste in Gaza as Israel blocks access to landfill sites.

Nafez Taimen, 22, also from Jabilia, stayed behind in the area with his father and grandfather, who is unable to walk long distances, after helping the women in their family leave. “We stayed to take care of my grandfather because we couldn't find a vehicle to move him to a safe place,” he told The National.

The Israeli army was only about 200 metres away from his location, he said. “At any moment, we expect them to cut communications and storm the house. We, along with the people still trapped in the neighbourhood, also expect them to shell us with artillery. The army is notorious for showing no mercy.

“At one point, a drone stopped right outside our window, took a photo, and flew away. We believe this is reconnaissance, preparing for an imminent attack in our area.”

Others such as Ghazi Al Helou, 25, said he was worried for the health and safety of his parents as hospitals are inaccessible and ambulances incapable of entering the area. “The terror these shells instil in our hearts is beyond any fear a person could experience in their life,” he said. “Every moment, you start to imagine that the next shell is going to fall on you, tearing your body into pieces.”

In a video statement on Monday, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas's military wing, said he was "speaking from Gaza" and that the group will continue its "war of attrition" against Israel a year after it began.

He also said Israel could have taken back all of the hostages Hamas took on October 7 "alive" if it suited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "aspirations and benefits". He added that the health situation of the remaining living hostages is "very difficult", without specifying how many Hamas still holds.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces tightened military monitoring at checkpoints, including in Ramallah and Al Bireh, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. They also closed all checkpoints leading to Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley.