Israeli airstrike on Gaza apartment block kills 29, including children

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Thursday, April 10th, 2025

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Gaza City, April 9 – At least 29 Palestinians, including several children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a multi-storey residential building in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood on Tuesday, according to local medics.

The strike, which occurred near the al-Hawashi mosque, left massive destruction and sparked chaos as rescue teams searched for survivors under the rubble. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency initially confirmed 23 fatalities, later recovering 15 more bodies from the debris.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation, with dust, debris, and the cries of survivors filling the air. “It was overcrowded with displaced families and tents,” said Ayub Salim, a resident. “Missiles rained down, and everything turned to dust. It was a horrific massacre.”

Video footage showed bloodied and dust-covered children being pulled from the rubble by distressed relatives and emergency responders.

The Israeli military stated the strike targeted a “senior Hamas terrorist” involved in attacks against Israeli forces, claiming efforts were made to minimize civilian harm using precision-guided weapons. It accused Hamas of violating international law by using civilians as human shields.

Hamas denounced the attack as a “bloody massacre,” noting that many civilians remained in the area, which was not included in prior evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported 33 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes within 24 hours, bringing the death toll since March 18 to 1,482.

Israel said its forces had hit more than 45 Hamas-linked targets across Gaza, while ground troops continued advancing in Shejaiya and southern Gaza’s “Morag Corridor.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed ongoing operations in Rafah, declaring, “We are slicing through the strip step by step.”

The UN estimates that 390,000 more people have been displaced in recent weeks, as large parts of Gaza are now under evacuation orders or deemed unsafe.