No warning, three strikes, five dead: Israeli air attack hits Gaza City apartment block

Gaza City — An Israeli air attack on a residential apartment building in Gaza City killed at least five people and severely wounded at least six others early on Saturday, striking in the middle of the night without any prior warning, according to medical staff at al-Shifa Hospital and Al Jazeera correspondents. The strike hit the al-Asala building in the Remal neighbourhood of western Gaza City — one of the most crowded residential areas in the Strip, home to thousands of displaced people sheltering in makeshift camps. Al Jazeera's Hani al-Shaer, reporting from Khan Younis, said the attack came while residents were asleep. "We heard fighter jets getting louder, then three strikes followed, hitting the apartment and killing those inside," he said. The strike penetrated the targeted apartment and tore through the floors below, causing destruction throughout the multi-storey building. Fires burned for at least an hour before Palestinian Civil Defence crews managed to extinguish them. Crews were still searching the rubble for missing people and bodies as Israeli drones flew overhead and fighter jets were heard flying low across the Strip. Al-Shaer described the scene as "horrific", with people buried under the rubble as they slept. Al-Shifa Hospital said the dead included four women — among them an elderly Christian woman and her daughter. The six wounded were taken to the hospital for treatment. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The attack comes amid a steady escalation despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed last year. Israel, which says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the October ceasefire, has stepped up strikes in recent weeks. Hamas denies the claims and accuses Israel of undermining the Gaza peace deal. Gaza health officials say at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since last October's ceasefire. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.