Why did Israel target the Jabalya refugee camp despite the presence of civilians?

According to Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, Israel targeted the camp specifically to eliminate a senior Hamas commander responsible for killing many Israelis. While acknowledging civilian presence, Hecht described it as 'the tragedy of war' in a complex battle environment that potentially contained Hamas infrastructure and tunnels. The IDF spokesperson emphasized they had been advising civilians to move south for days and were focused on their military objective, not deliberately targeting refugees. The operation highlights the difficult moral calculations made in conflict zones where military targets are embedded within civilian populations.