Israeli forces have intensified their attacks in Gaza. The Israeli army bombed a 15-story building. The army claims it was a Hamas stronghold.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) demolished a 15-storey building in Gaza City on Saturday by bombing it. Gaza residents told the Xinhua News Agency that Israeli fighter jets fired multiple missiles at the Al-Susi Tower, located in the western part of Gaza City, reducing it to rubble within minutes.
According to news agencies, the powerful explosions shook the surrounding area. The IDF bombing caused significant damage to nearby homes, shops, and roads. Gaza resident Ahmad Al Ras said that they felt the ground shake as the missiles fell. He stated, "We dropped everything and fled with the children in our arms."
Mahmoud Bassel, spokesperson for civil defence in the Gaza Strip, reacted to the attack. Bassel said that his team had arrived at the scene to search for survivors under the rubble. There were no immediate reports of casualties. However, dozens of families have been displaced, as the building housed many displaced Palestinians.
The attack on the 15-storey Al-Susi Tower came approximately 24 hours after Israeli aircraft demolished the 13-storey Mushtaha Tower in western Gaza City. The IDF claimed that the Al-Susi Tower was used by Hamas to install intelligence-gathering equipment and establish observation posts to monitor the positions of IDF soldiers in the area.
The Israeli army stated that Hamas had constructed tunnels near the building, from which Hamas militants targeted Israeli soldiers. The army said that instructions were given to Palestinians to evacuate the building before the attack. According to Gaza health officials, over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed and 161,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages.