A look at the top developments from Israel’s war on Gaza:

  1. Israel on Wednesday hit a refugee camp near Gaza City for the second time, Al Jazeera reported. While the damage and casualties from the latest attack on the Jabaliya camp are unclear, the director of a nearby Indonesian Hospital told the news channel that at least 50 people were killed in the air strikes on Tuesday. This includes 19 relatives of an Al Jazeera staff member, according to the broadcaster.
  2. The Israeli military said that it was conducting strikes on Hamas infrastructure “that had taken over civilian buildings” and targeting senior leadership of the militant group. It said that the strikes killed a senior Hamas commander, a key planner of the October 7 attacks that started the war, besides several other militants. Rescuers are searching for survivors amid the rubble of decimated buildings and those that had partially collapsed. Arab countries Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have issued separate statements denouncing the strikes on the camp, reported AP.
  3. The toll from the Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 8,525, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday, reported Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency. The ministry said that the victims include 3,542 children and 2,187 women. Over 21,500 people have been injured so far. The toll could rise as the ministry said that it has received reports of 2,000 people still trapped under the rubble. In Israel, more than 1,500 people have been killed.
  4. Several foreigners left Gaza on Wednesday through the Rafah crossing into Egypt for the first time since the war began on October 7, reported AFP. It was not immediately known how many people managed to leave the besieged region. However, visuals from the crossing showed crowds entering the Palestinian side of the terminal. Citizens from 44 countries as well as 28 agencies, including United Nations bodies, are estimated to be in the Gaza Strip currently. 
  5. Families of the victims of the October 7 attack in Israel on Tuesday urged the International Criminal Court to order an investigation into the killings and abductions, Reuters reported. This was despite Israel not being a member of the Hague-based international court and refusing to recognise its jurisdiction. The filings in the matter urge prosecutor Karim Khan to focus his investigation on October 7 actions, including enforced disappearances that the court sees as a crime against humanity.
  6. Amid the war, Bolivia said on Tuesday that it has severed diplomatic ties with Israel. Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to Tel Aviv for consultations. The South American countries have criticised Israel’s attacks on Gaza and condemned the deaths of Palestinian citizens. The countries have called for a ceasefire with Bolivia and Chile demanding that humanitarian aid be allowed into the zone.

Also read: War on Gaza: Why does the West tolerate Israel’s violence?