Israel strikes landmark residential tower in southern Rafah as truce talks stall
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud
CAIRO/RAFAH, Gaza (Reuters) -Israel struck one of the largest residential towers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, residents said, stepping up pressure on the last area of the enclave it has not yet invaded and where over a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
The 12-floor building was damaged in the strike, and residents said dozens of families were made homeless, though no casualties were reported. Israel's military said the block was being used by Hamas to plan attacks on Israelis.
One of the 300 residents of the tower, which is located some 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the border with Egypt, told Reuters Israel gave them a 30-minute warning to flee the building at night.
«People were startled, running down the stairs, some fell, it was chaos. People left their belongings and money,» said Mohammad Al-Nabrees, adding that among those who tripped down the stairs during the panicked evacuation was a friend's pregnant wife.
The strike raised alarm among residents of a wider Israeli assault on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering. Israel has said it plans to carry out operations in the area, which it has called Hamas's last bastion.
But its pledge to do so only after civilians have evacuated has done little to quell international concern.
Five months into Israel's unrelenting air and ground assault on Gaza, health authorities say nearly 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more bodies are feared buried under rubble.
The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Hamas on Saturday named four Israeli
Read more on investing.com
