At least five individuals lost their lives and a minimum of six suffered severe injuries following an overnight Israeli air strike on an apartment building in western Gaza City, medical personnel at al-Shifa Hospital confirmed.
The assault hit the al-Asala structure located in the densely populated Remal district early Saturday morning without any prior notification, reported Al Jazeera’s Hani al-Shaer from Khan Younis. Remal stands as one of the city’s most congested residential zones, currently hosting thousands of displaced residents seeking refuge in informal camps.
Al-Shaer noted that the bombardment struck in the dead of night while occupants were sleeping.
“We heard fighter jets getting louder, then three strikes followed, hitting the apartment and killing those inside,” he said.
The force of the impact tore through the targeted flat and collapsed lower levels, causing widespread structural devastation across the multi-story complex. Fires blazed for over an hour before Palestinian Civil Defence teams succeeded in extinguishing the flames.
Al-Shaer portrayed the aftermath as “horrific”, noting that residents were trapped beneath debris in their sleep.
Rescue personnel persisted in searching the site for missing persons and casualties while Israeli drones hovered overhead and warplanes flew at low altitudes across the territory.
Representatives from al-Shifa Hospital stated that the deceased included four women, one of whom was an elderly Christian woman killed alongside her daughter. The six injured survivors were transported to the hospital for urgent medical care.
