Israeli strikes kill at least 67 in Gaza City

Israel has destroyed another multi-storey building in Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the besieged enclave. At least 67 people were killed in the territory in a single day of attacks.

The Palestinian Civil Defence said at least 50 buildings have been destroyed so far, leaving thousands of families homeless. The report was published by Al Jazeera on Monday (September 8).

According to the outlet, Israel has intensified its destruction in Gaza City. The Civil Defence reported that the occupying forces demolished another high-rise, the Al-Ruya Tower. With this, Israel has so far destroyed at least 50 buildings in its bid to seize control of the city’s main urban centre.

Alongside the strike on Al-Ruya Tower, at least 67 people were killed across Gaza on Sunday, 49 of them from the northern part of the enclave. Israeli forces claimed they attacked the building after asking residents to evacuate. Families displaced and sheltering in nearby makeshift tents also fled in panic.

Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network, who was near the site at the time, told Al Jazeera: “The situation is horrific, panic has spread everywhere. Hundreds of families have lost shelter. Israel is trying to force people to move south, but everyone knows there is no safe place there either.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the military was targeting “terrorist infrastructure and high-rises belonging to terrorists.” But Al-Ruya Tower was a five-storey building that housed 24 apartments, shops, a clinic, and a gym. Earlier, Israel struck the Al Jazeera Club area, hitting families living in tents.

On Saturday, Israel destroyed the 15-storey Sausi Tower, and a day before that, the 12-storey Mushtaha Tower, leaving many displaced families injured. After the Sausi Tower attack, one family said: “We have nothing left. We couldn’t take anything. The building was flattened within half an hour.”

In August, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to capture Gaza City. Netanyahu’s strategy has already displaced 100,000 Palestinians.

However, Palestinians insist there is no safe haven anywhere in Gaza. The Interior Ministry warned on Sunday that residents should not believe Israel’s claims about “humanitarian safe zones.” Although Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis has been declared such an area, it too has been bombed several times.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported: “Every five to ten minutes, explosions are heard around Gaza City. There is heavy bombardment in areas including Sabra and Zeitoun.”

He added that Israel was using remote-controlled explosive robots in residential areas. Homes, schools, mosques, and government facilities in Sheikh Radwan were also targeted. Rescue workers said Al-Farabi School in western Gaza City, which had been turned into a shelter, was hit by an airstrike, killing at least eight people, including children.