At least five Palestinians were killed and six others severely injured after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential apartment in western Gaza City early Saturday, according to medical staff at al-Shifa Hospital.
The strike hit the al-Asala building in the Remal neighborhood, one of Gaza City’s densely populated areas, without prior warning, according to Al Jazeera. The attack involved three strikes that tore through the targeted apartment and damaged several floors of the multi-storey building. A fire reportedly burned for about an hour before Palestinian Civil Defence crews brought it under control.
Al-Shifa Hospital said four women were among those killed, including an elderly Christian woman and her daughter. The six injured people were taken to the hospital for treatment, while rescue teams continued searching the damaged building for people who may have been trapped beneath the rubble.
The attack comes despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire that has been in place for nearly a year. Israeli strikes have continued during the truce, with Gaza health authorities reporting that more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The broader Israel-Hamas war began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in roughly 250 hostages being taken, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
