October 31, 2023 – January 2024 · Northern Gaza Theater
October 31, 2023 – January 2024
Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza with 110,000 residents, became one of the most contested battlegrounds of the war. On October 31, an IDF airstrike targeting Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari collapsed several buildings in the camp, killing Biari and an estimated 50–100 others. The resulting images of mass casualties caused international shock. The subsequent ground fight through Jabalia was conducted in some of the most densely built urban terrain on earth. Hamas fighters exploited the camp's labyrinthine alleys and interconnected tunnel network. Israeli forces returned to Jabalia in multiple distinct operations as Hamas re-infiltrated areas declared cleared.
Commanders