In a significant development early Saturday, an Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment building in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of at least five Palestinians, four of whom were women, health and civil defense officials. Among the victims were a Christian mother and her daughter, medics confirmed.
The strike caused the apartment building to collapse and ignited a fire. Eyewitness Ahmed Al-Dahdouh described the scene: “We were asleep when we suddenly heard continuous strikes and heavy explosions. The children woke up frightened, running and screaming.” He added, “When we rushed outside, we found our neighbor’s house had been hit, with bodies of men, women, and children scattered beneath the rubble. We began pulling them out.”
Last year’s US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza included provisions for the territory’s reconstruction. However, progress toward implementing the agreement has been minimal, particularly regarding Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s troop withdrawal.
Dahdouh emphasized the peaceful nature of the victims, stating, “We are Muslims, and these are our Christian brethren who are not involved in any conflict. They are peaceful people loved by all. Now, we have recovered the bodies of a mother and her daughter.”
Israel has intensified its strikes on Hamas in recent weeks, accusing the group of rearming and conducting attacks that breach the ceasefire. Conversely, Hamas denies attempting to launch attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accuses Israel of sabotaging the peace deal.
Gaza health authorities report that since the ceasefire in October, Israeli fire has killed at least 1,400 Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel states that four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during the same period.
