The Israeli military has bombed a warehouse that housed displaced Palestinians in the az-Zawayda area of central Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 15 members of the Ajlah family, including nine children. According to Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, three women also died in the attack. The total death toll from this incident has now been reported as 16 individuals.
In coverage from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum described how three Israeli missiles struck the warehouse, located just a few kilometers south of the Nuseirat refugee camp. “A massive fire broke out, and everything in the warehouse was destroyed, while children were torn apart. Rescue operations are continuing in an attempt to find more bodies,” he reported.
There is significant frustration and grief among the population, with the bodies now being arranged in the morgue at Al-Aqsa Hospital as families prepare for funerals. The attack occurred after international mediators—namely the United States, Qatar, and Egypt—had completed negotiations for a ceasefire in Doha, which they described as “serious and constructive,” aimed at ending the war and exploring the possibility of releasing Israeli prisoners in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israel.
“What have they done to deserve this?” questioned Ahmed Abu al-Ghoul, a local resident who witnessed the recent attack, in comments to AFP.
Al Jazeera’s Abu Azzoum reported on additional airstrikes that heavily impacted residential houses in the enclave, including one attack that killed at least seven Palestinians from the same family on the western side of the Nuseirat refugee camp. “We are observing that the recent Israeli attacks have obliterated entire families,” he stated.
Israel has again issued evacuation orders, this time for neighborhoods in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli military, announced on social media that residents in areas from which Hamas has allegedly fired rockets should evacuate “for their own safety.” This marks the third time in three days that Israel has ordered evacuations in multiple areas of Gaza, displacing tens of thousands of individuals.
Abu Azzoum added that families are fleeing to Deir el-Balah, which is already overcrowded with displaced persons, and noted that “the humanitarian zone is becoming smaller.” Israeli forces have also instructed people to evacuate from near the city of Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Israel to advance diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement, while President Joe Biden has stated that a deal is in sight but has simultaneously warned parties in the Middle East against undermining negotiations. A senior Hamas spokesperson dismissed Biden’s optimism as an illusion. “To say that we are close to reaching an agreement is not accurate,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement to AFP.
Blinken is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed 69 people and injured 136 in the past 48 hours. This raises the total death toll in the enclave since October 7 to 40,074 deceased and 92,537 injured. Approximately 1,139 individuals were killed in Israel during the Hamas attacks on October 7, with more than 200 taken captive.