{"id":269849,"date":"2025-09-16T15:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/israeli-airstrikes-leave-children-dead-residents-describe-horror-in-gaza-city\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T15:30:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:30:51","slug":"israeli-airstrikes-leave-children-dead-residents-describe-horror-in-gaza-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peexpress\/israeli-airstrikes-leave-children-dead-residents-describe-horror-in-gaza-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli airstrikes leave children dead, residents describe horror in Gaza City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gaza City \u2013 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\u2019s ongoing bombardment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were about 50 people inside, including women and children. I don\u2019t know why they bombed it,\u201d said Abu Abd Zaqout, whose uncle\u2019s family lived in one of the destroyed buildings. \u201cWhy kill children sleeping safely like that, turning them into body parts? We pulled the children out in pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Israel flattens high-rise as it tells Gaza City residents to flee<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This
This picture taken from a position at Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing amid Israeli bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory on. Israel launched its ground assault on Gaza City before dawn on September 16. (Photo by Menahem Kahana \/ AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sound of aircraft never stops \u2013 quadcopters and warplanes constantly fill the sky,\u201d said Ibrahim Al-Besheiti, a 35-year-old resident of the Al-Sabra neighbourhood. \u201cWe\u2019re extremely afraid, and many people around us have already fled. We don\u2019t know what will happen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Sheikh Radwan, 38-year-old Maysa Abu Jamaa described constant gunfire, drone strikes, and artillery shelling. \u201cA huge overnight explosion jolted us awake. My children are terrified, screaming and crying. We live in constant darkness and see no way out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘No humanity left’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The civil defence agency reported at least 36 people killed since dawn across Gaza on Tuesday alone. Since Israel\u2019s retaliatory campaign began, following Hamas\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFP<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s ongoing 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