GAZA CITY: The Israeli military destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City on Friday shortly after announcing it would target tall structures identified as being used by Hamas.
This action comes ahead of Israel’s planned seizure of the Palestinian territory’s largest urban centre despite mounting international pressure to halt its nearly two-year offensive.
The military stated it had identified significant Hamas terrorist activity within various infrastructure sites in Gaza City, particularly in high-rise buildings, and would target those locations in coming days.
Less than an hour after this announcement, forces struck the Mushtaha Tower in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood, accusing Hamas of using it to advance and execute attacks against troops.
AFP footage showed the tower collapsing after a massive explosion at its base, sending a thick cloud of smoke and dust billowing into the sky.
Photographs depicted Palestinians inspecting the rubble and debris of the collapsed building in the aftermath.
The army claimed precautionary measures were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including prior warnings before the strike.
Arej Ahmed, a 50-year-old displaced Palestinian living in a tent southwest of Gaza City, reported that residents threw belongings from upper floors to flee before the bombing.
She stated by telephone that less than half an hour after evacuation orders, the tower was bombed.
Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal accused Israel of carrying out a policy of forced displacement against civilians through its targeting of high-rise buildings.
The agency reported Israeli strikes in and around Gaza City killed at least 19 people among 42 Palestinians killed across the territory on Friday.
The Israeli military said it was unable to comment on those reports when contacted by AFP.
Media restrictions in Gaza and access difficulties prevent independent verification of casualty figures provided by either the civil defence agency or Israeli military.
Ahmed Abu Wutfa, a 45-year-old resident in western Gaza City, described the bombing of towers and apartment buildings as terrifying for his children and himself.
He expressed there is no safe place and only hopes death comes quickly.
Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq dismissed Israeli claims about militant operations in high-rises as flimsy pretexts and blatant lies.
The United Nations estimates nearly one million people live in Gaza City and its surroundings, where it declared a famine last month.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Israel to stop the catastrophe of people starving to death in Gaza.
The health ministry reports more than 370 people have died from malnutrition since the war began.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP that the European Union was not living up to its responsibilities in this enormous humanitarian crisis.
Defence Minister Israel Katz declared the bolt has now been removed from the gates of hell in Gaza, vowing to intensify operations until Hamas accepts Israel’s terms to end the war.
Israel expects its new offensive will displace around one million people toward the south.
Hamas’s armed wing released footage purporting to show two hostages seized in the October 2023 attack alive in Gaza City late last month.
The video shows hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal in a car calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to carry out the planned offensive on Gaza City.
It later shows him meeting another captive, Alon Ohel, in his first video appearance since abduction.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed he had spoken with the families of both hostages.
The prime minister stated no evil propaganda video would weaken Israel’s determination to crush Hamas and free the hostages.
Relatives and supporters of hostages rallied in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Friday to demand a deal for their release.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the Hamas attack, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.
The attack resulted in 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,300 Palestinians, most civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza health ministry figures the UN considers reliable. – AFP