Death toll in Israeli strikes in central Gaza rises to 25 as Beirut suburb is pounded again
Associated PressOct 23
Israel: Most People in Jabalia Have Fled
Above: Palestinians sit around a bonfire amid destroyed buildings in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Nov. 6, 2024, as the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group continues. Image copyright: Eyad Baba/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
After launching an offensive into the area last month, Israel's military said on Tuesday that around 55K Palestinian civilians have fled Jabalia in northern Gaza. Israel claimed that Hamas tried to prevent some Palestinians from fleeing the area without presenting evidence.
Israeli outlet Channel 12 said that the military is preparing to capture and hold the area, adding that residents will not be allowed to return for the time being. Human rights groups have claimed that "the Generals' plan" — a proposal to starve and treat all remaining civilians as combatants — has been implemented.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though the situation in the region continues to escalate, the US has stood firm in its role as a mediator. Israel has every right to respond to the daily terror attacks it has seen since Oct. 7. However, it is in no one's interest for tensions to explode into a wider regional war. The US will continue to work toward regional stability.
Pro-Israel narrative
Hamas continues to use Gaza's civilian population as human shields as it increasingly converts schools and hospitals into command and control centers. Indeed, Hamas is solely to blame for the destruction of Gaza and its impact on the civilian population, as it started this terrible war with the massacres of Oct. 7. Israel will continue to pacify the group and confront its regional enemies.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel's true goal in northern Gaza is to starve and exterminate the civilian population so that the region is never inhabited by Palestinians again, paving the way for Israeli settlers. Israeli politicians and military officials have been quite clear about the country's genocidal goals, yet the media continues to ignore their horrifying ambitions. This is a campaign of mass extermination that has received the full backing of the US.