Five people died and several others sustained injuries early Saturday when an Israeli air strike hit a residential apartment building in western Gaza City, leaving rescue crews searching the rubble for missing victims nearly a year after a declared ceasefire.
Air Strike on Remal Neighbourhood Kills Five
Palestinian civil defence teams and hospital staff at al-Shifa Hospital confirmed that at least five people died in the blast, which penetrated the targeted residential floor and tore through lower levels of the multistorey structure.
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the civil defence agency operating under Hamas authority, reported that emergency crews transported five bodies and several wounded individuals to the hospital following the attack. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as fires burned for over an hour before rescue personnel managed to extinguish the flames.
We were asleep and suddenly heard continuous strikes and heavy explosions. The children woke up startled and started running and screaming.
Ahmed al-Dahdouh, witness via Reuters
Neighbours rushed outside to find adjacent homes heavily damaged and victims scattered beneath the debris. According to health and civil defence officials, four of the five individuals killed in the apartment building were women.
Israeli Military Targets Ali al-Amoudi
The Israeli military stated that the overnight operation aimed to eliminate Ali al-Amoudi, whom it identified as the right-hand man of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. Officials described al-Amoudi as Hamas’s top person in the Gaza Strip and accused him of being involved in planning the 7 October attack.
Today, al-Amoudi is the most senior Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip and is directly involved in Hamas’s terror activities and in rebuilding the organisation for war. The terrorist was struck in order to remove the threat.
Israeli military statement, via RTÉ
Military officials added that strikes target armed groups that pose a threat in response to ceasefire violations. Authorities stated that the results of the strike were under review to determine whether the target was killed or injured.
Gaza Christian Community Mourns Mother and Daughter
Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Michel Najjar, were among those killed in the Gaza City strike. The victims belonged to Gaza’s small Christian minority, which accounts for roughly one percent of the enclave’s population. Mourners, including friends and family members, gathered at Gaza City’s Saint Porphyrius Church to attend the funeral services for Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter Mary, who were among the victims. The parish priest led the funeral of Maysaa Abu Daoud and her daughter Mary. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed his condolences.
Family members, relatives, and community members gathered at the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City to hold funeral services.
Today is essentially the worst day of my life. I lost my mother and my grandmother today.
Fouad Al-Najjar, family member via Reuters
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, issued a statement expressing profound sorrow over the killings. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem also issued a statement expressing sympathy to the bereaved families, while appealing for an end to the ongoing war and bombardment, the safeguarding of civilian lives, and the establishment of a just peace that grants the people of Gaza a sense of security for their children and loved ones.
Palestinian Officials Condemn Air Campaign Against Civilians
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the air campaign, arguing that shelling civilian homes in the enclave demonstrates a persistent campaign against the population. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry emphasized that the bombardment of a residential home in the territory by Israeli warplanes highlights a relentless effort to wipe out Palestinians, prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, and target Muslim and Christian Palestinians across all their backgrounds. Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh stated that the attack reflects an ongoing disregard for the lives of Muslims and Christians alike.
Data from the Gaza Health Ministry indicates that at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the US-brokered ceasefire went into effect nearly a year ago. International bodies continue to monitor the humanitarian situation as access to medical supplies and reconstruction materials is restricted.
