Israeli forces have intensified their campaign of destruction in Gaza City. On Sunday (September 7), Israeli airstrikes brought down the Al-Ruwa Tower, a five-storey building that housed a health center, shops, clinics, and a gym. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, this raises the number of high-rise buildings destroyed in Gaza City to at least 50.
On the same day, at least 65 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, including 49 in northern Gaza City. Although residents were given evacuation warnings before the strikes, hundreds of families have been left homeless.
Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network, described the situation as catastrophic. “Hundreds of families lost their shelters today. Israel is pushing people to flee south, but there is no safe place in the south either,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, defended the strikes, claiming they targeted “terrorist infrastructure and hostile high-rise towers.”
Earlier, the Salsi Tower (15 floors) and Mustaha Tower (12 floors) were also destroyed, injuring families who had taken shelter nearby. Many survivors said they barely escaped with their lives, losing all their belongings. Now, they are struggling to survive under makeshift shelters made of cloth and sheets.
The Israeli security cabinet had approved a plan in August to seize control of Gaza City. Since then, nearly 100,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Yet, even in the south, safety remains elusive as the so-called “humanitarian safe zone” in Al-Mawasi has repeatedly come under bombardment.
Al Jazeera reported that explosions are heard every five to ten minutes across Gaza City, with particularly heavy strikes on the Sabra and Zeitoun neighborhoods.
