Israeli troops are battling Palestinian militants in a dense, urban refugee camp near Gaza City as they expand operations across the north. Residents have been without electricity, water or access to humanitarian aid for weeks. The front line has shifted to the Jabaliya camp, a dense warren of concrete buildings near Gaza City that houses refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and their descendants. The war sparked by Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack into Israel has exacted a heavy toll on Palestinian civilians, particularly those who remain in the north after Israel repeatedly called on people to flee south.
