Israel's attacks on Gaza refugee camp may amount to war crimes, UN human rights office says

THE LATEST:

• UN human rights office says Gaza refugee camp bombings may be war crimes.
• Hundreds of foreign nationals allowed to leaveGaza via Rafah crossing; Global Affairs Canada 'aware of reports' one Canadian able to enter Egypt.
• Israeli airstrikeshit apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City for a second day in a row, as IDF reports 16 soldiers killed since start of ground operations.
• Internet and other communications were gradually being restored in Gaza after the second major cut in five days.
• Other countries are distancing themselves from Israel over conditions inbesieged Gaza, withJordan describing the situation as a "humanitarian catastrophe."

The United Nations human rights office said on Wednesday it was concerned that Israeli airstrikes on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp could amount to war crimes.

"Given the high number of civilian casualties [and]the scale of destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Early Thursday morning, Gaza'sHamas-run government media office saidIsraeli attacks on the refugee camp, both Tuesday and Wednesday,have killedat least 195 Palestinians.Some 120 were still missing under the rubble, and at least 777 more were wounded, the office said in a statement.

Forthe second day in a row, Israeli airstrikeshit apartment buildings on Wednesday in the refugee camp, which is near Gaza City, causing many deaths and injuries, the government said.

Al Jazeera television, which is still reporting from northern Gaza, aired footage of devastation and of several wounded people, including children, being brought to a nearby hospital.

On Tuesday, a barrage of airstrikes levelled apartment buildings in the refugee camp.

The Israeli military later issued a statement saying its fighter jets had struck a Hamas command and control complex inJabalia"based on precise intelligence," killing the head of the Islamist group's anti-tank missile unit, Muhammad A'sar.

"Hamas deliberately builds its terror infrastructure under, around and within civilian buildings, intentionally endangering Gazan civilians," the statement said.

Israel said Tuesday's strike, which targeted senior Hamas military leader Ibrahim Biari, destroyed a militant command centreand an underground tunnel network, and killed dozens of other fighters.

Military spokesperson Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus said Biari had also been a key planner of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, and that the apartment buildings collapsed only because the underground Hamas complex had been destroyed.

Neither side's account could be independently confirmed.

One Canadian reportedto have left Gaza

Global Affairs Canada (GAC)said it is "aware of reports"of a Canadian citizen crossing from Gaza to Egypt afterthe Rafah border crossing opened on Wednesday to allow hundreds of foreign passport holders to leave the besieged territory for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago.

GAC said the individual crossed the border "with a third party," but it could not share more information "due to privacy considerations."

Canada was not included in the first group allowed to leave the besieged Palestinian territory since the latest Israel-Hamas war began.

According to the federal government, there are more Canadians in the Gaza Strip than there are foreign nationals from many other countries.

CBC News sawa list from the Palestinian border authority of names potentially in line to leave Gaza on Wednesday. The list includes foreign nationals from several countries and non-governmental organizations, but no Canadians.

A government source with direct knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Canada is pushing Egypt,Israel and Qatar to put Canadians on the next approved lists. But it's unclear when Canadians will be able to leave.

• Are you in the Middle East and affected by the war between Israel and Hamas? We want to hear about your experience. Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.

Crowds have gathered at the crossing at different times in recent weeksbut have not been allowed out due to disagreements among Egypt, Israel and Hamas.

But an agreement appeared to have been reached on Wednesday. The Palestinian crossing authority said more than 400 foreign passport holders would be permitted to leave for Egypt, as would some wounded people.

Dozens of people could be seen entering the Rafah crossing the only one currently operating and ambulances carrying wounded Palestinians exited on the Egyptian side.

More than 80 Palestinians were being brought from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday for medical treatment. Ambulances were seen entering the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, and a field hospital has been set up in the nearby town of Sheikh Zuweid.

Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees because of fears Israel will not allow them to return to Gaza after the war.

Canadian teen, family waitfor chance to leave

Said Alhassoimi, a Canadian teenager, has been stuck in Gaza with his younger siblings after they went to visit their grandparents. He said he and his family rushed to the Rafah border after they heard from GACabout the opening on Wednesday, only to learn thatCanadians were unable to cross.

"We checked our names and sadly our names were not on that list [of people allowed through]," said Alhassoimi, 16, speaking from Khan Younis.

"We took a big risk to even go to the border.... We came back and we called the Canadian government, and they told us, 'Hopefully tomorrow.'"

Alhassoimiis with his grandparents andfour siblings: a brother who is 14 and three sisters who are12, nineand three.

WATCH| Another attack devastatesrefugee camp:

Devastation in Gaza after another attack hits Jabalia

10 months ago

Duration 0:31

Video obtained by Reuters shows people rushing to help the wounded on Wednesday after an attack on Jabalia, in northern Gaza. The area already suffered major damage earlier this week after Israel launched a strike it says was targeting a Hamas commander.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government was calling for its citizens to be allowed out.

"We of course continue to unequivocally condemn Hamas's abhorrent terrorism, and Israel has the right to defend itself, but the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,'' he said.

"We're calling [for]the liberation of hostages, on aid to flow in and on Canadians and their families to get out of Gaza through theRafahcrossing."

Global Affairs Canada said in an update emailed to media on Wednesday evening that the initial list of more than 500 people included citizens from eight countries that have smaller groups of people in Gaza than Canada does. The department said it has given its partners in the region a list of nearly 450 people including Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their relatives who want to leave Gaza.

"The decision to cross via Rafah is yours to take and the Government of Canada cannot guarantee your safety and security," Global Affairs said. "You have to balance the options of attempting to cross, of sheltering in place, or, of moving elsewhere in Gaza."

Additionally, the government said that even for Canadian passport holders, "we cannot guarantee that you will be allowed to leave Gaza."

Communications slowly returning

Meanwhile, communication was being restored slowly in Gaza after Palestinians reported another widespread outage of internet and phone service for several hours early Wednesday.

"Even the potentially life-saving act of calling an ambulance becomes impossible," said Jessica Moussan, an International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson.

Omar Mansour lives in Vancouver but has 11 family members including his parents, who are in their 70s living in their home in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. After four days of silenceduring the blackout. Mansour was able to speak to his family through a shaky 2G connection on Monday, but he said they haven't had proper access to drinking water in days.

"They're not drinking anything. What they are eating is the leftovers of the cans that they have. Old bread. And that's it. Some dates that they stored for many, many, many, many weeks," he said.

"I even feel guilty being alive."

Humanitarian aid agencies have warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation in Gaza. More than half of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians has been displaced and basic supplies are running low more than three weeks into the war, which was triggered by Hamas's Oct. 7 attackinto southern Israel thatleft about 1,400 people dead, according to the Israeli government,including several Canadians.

Palestinian militants also abducted about240 people, with four hostages released so far, while continuing to fire rockets into Israel.

More than 8,700 Palestinians have been killed in the war, mostly women and minors, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday, without providing a breakdown between civilians and fighters.

WATCH | Some foreign nationals permitted to leave Gaza:

Some foreign nationals allowed out of Gaza, but no Canadians on list

10 months ago

Duration 3:10

For the first time since Israel announced its 'complete siege' of Gaza, hundreds of foreign nationals trapped in the territory were allowed to cross into Egypt and escape the fighting, but no Canadians were on the list of those who got out.

Israeli troops move towardGaza City

In recent days, Israeli troops have advanced toward the outskirts of Gaza City from the north and east.

Israeli officials say Hamas's military infrastructure, including hundreds of kilometresof tunnels, is concentrated in the city.

The IsraelDefence Force confirmed Wednesday the deaths of 16 soldiers since the beginning of the military ground offensive.

Fifteen were killed Tuesday alone, according to the Times of Israel, which reported 11 died when a missile hit a armoured personnel carrier.

The Israeli military also said Wednesday it had deployed missile boats in the Red Sea, following long-range drone and missile attacks claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

'Humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza

Gaza has been sealed off since the start of the war, causing shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel. Israel has allowed international aid groups to send more than 200 trucks carrying food and medicine to enter from Egypt over the past 10 days, but aid workers say it's not nearly enough.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the Biden administration hopes 1,000 trucks per day could be entering by the end of this week.

WATCH | Aid backed up at Egypt border:

Egyptian PM blames Israel for not letting enough aid into Gaza

10 months ago

Duration 1:53

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza blamed the Israeli government for not allowing badly needed aid to get into Gaza. He also rejected the possibility of forcing Palestinians to move into north Sinai in Egypt.

Israel has barred fuel importson fears Hamas would confiscate themto use for military purposes.

Concerns about the humanitarian toll and civilian deaths in Gaza have led to fallout internationally.

Jordan said in a statement on Wednesday that it has recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel's ambassador to remain out of the country in protest over the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza. Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, the second Arab country after Egypt to do so.

Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Israel on Tuesday "in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip," its deputy foreign minister said. Chile and Colombia recalled their ambassadors to Israel.

Objectives after Hamas unclear

Israel has vowed to crush Hamas's ability to govern Gaza or threaten it, while also saying it does not plan to reoccupy the territory, from which it withdrew soldiers and settlers in 2005. But it has said little about who would govern Gaza afterwards.

Blinken suggested on Tuesday in congressional testimony that "at some point, what would make the most sense is for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza."

Hamas drove PA forces out of Gaza in a week of heavy fighting in 2007, leaving it with limited authority over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian support for President Mahmoud Abbas has plunged since then, with many Palestinians dismissing the PA as little more than a security subcontractor for Israelbecause it helps suppress Hamas and other militant groups.

WATCH l Leaked document considers Palestinian displacement:

Leaked Israeli draft paper suggests forcing 2.3M out of Gaza

10 months ago

Duration 2:07

In a paper circulated among Israeli intelligence, officials discuss possible outcomes for the population of Gaza in the Israel-Hamas conflict, one of which includes forcing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants out of the territory into Egypt. The paper also mentions Canada as a place that could take in refugees.