Gaza City – As drones buzzed overhead in the morning sun, Palestinians sifted through the rubble of a residential block in northern Gaza City, lifting a blanket that held the body of a victim of Israel’s ongoing bombardment.
The scene is a stark reminder of the devastation in Gaza City, where Israel has intensified airstrikes in the lead-up to a ground assault launched on Tuesday. Overnight bombing reduced several homes to mounds of concrete and twisted metal. Residents scrambled desperately for survivors, some wedging their hands and heads beneath fallen slabs.
“There were about 50 people inside, including women and children. I don’t know why they bombed it,” said Abu Abd Zaqout, whose uncle’s family lived in one of the destroyed buildings. “Why kill children sleeping safely like that, turning them into body parts? We pulled the children out in pieces.”
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Nearby, families attempted to salvage belongings from debris-strewn roads, while the civil defence agency reported that at least 12 people, including children, were killed in the strike, with many more trapped under rubble.
“The sound of aircraft never stops – quadcopters and warplanes constantly fill the sky,” said Ibrahim Al-Besheiti, a 35-year-old resident of the Al-Sabra neighbourhood. “We’re extremely afraid, and many people around us have already fled. We don’t know what will happen to us.”
In Sheikh Radwan, 38-year-old Maysa Abu Jamaa described constant gunfire, drone strikes, and artillery shelling. “A huge overnight explosion jolted us awake. My children are terrified, screaming and crying. We live in constant darkness and see no way out,” she said.
‘No humanity left’
Israel said its ground offensive is aimed at Hamas, with troops moving deeper into Gaza City. An Israeli official estimated that more than 350,000 people had fled the city ahead of the assault. The United Nations estimates nearly one million residents remain in Gaza City and its surrounding areas.
The civil defence agency reported at least 36 people killed since dawn across Gaza on Tuesday alone. Since Israel’s retaliatory campaign began, following Hamas’ October 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, the Gaza Health Ministry reports at least 64,964 deaths, mostly civilians, a figure the UN considers reliable.
AFP noted that media restrictions and restricted access in Gaza make independent verification of casualties and damage difficult. When contacted, the Israeli military said it would attempt to look into the reported strike.
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