Five Killed in Gaza Apartment Strike as Israel Targets Hamas Leader
An Israeli airstrike hit the ground floor of the Al-Asala 1 apartment building in Gaza on Saturday, killing five Palestinians, including four women and an academic, detik.com reported. The military action coincided with the Jewish calendar anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attacks, as the Israel Defense Forces stated they targeted Ali al-Amoudi, described as a senior Hamas figure and close confidant of the late leader Yahya Sinwar.
The escalation comes amid a continuing campaign of military strikes across the enclave despite a prior US-brokered ceasefire. While Palestinian health officials report mounting casualties since the truce began, the Israeli military stated that it used precision munitions and took steps to minimize civilian harm while reviewing the results of the strike on the Gaza City building.
Morning Raids and Rescue Operations in Gaza City
The strike on the Al-Asala 1 apartment building occurred while residents were sleeping, according to family members on the scene. Local residents and civil defense teams rushed to clear the rubble and evacuate the dead and wounded from the collapsed structure. Kumparan.com noted that four of the five individuals killed in the apartment were women, whose bodies were pulled from the wreckage before dawn.
Among those killed were Maisa Abu Dawoud, known as Umm Michel, and her daughter Mary Najjar, known as Umm Fouad. The two Palestinian Christian women from Gaza City were church servants who often helped displaced refugees. Fouad al-Najjar, a family member, told detik.com that he lost both his mother and his grandmother in the sudden blast.
Church funerals honor victims of Gaza City strike
Mourners gathered on Saturday at the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City to hold funeral prayers and memorial hymns for Maisa Abu Dawoud and Mary Najjar. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued condolences to the grieving family and called for an immediate halt to the bombings and greater protection for civilians. Christians make up approximately one percent of Gaza’s population of more than two million residents, according to kumparan.com.
The same strike also killed Yasmin al-Boubou, a lecturer in the multimedia department at the College of Intermediate Studies at the University of Palestine, Gaza, and former head of the multimedia technology department at the university, along with her mother, Halloum al-Boubou.
Israeli military targets senior Hamas leader Ali al-Amoudi
The Israeli military stated that the operation specifically aimed to eliminate Ali al-Amoudi, whom officials identified as the most senior Hamas leader currently inside the Gaza Strip. According to military statements reported by detik.com, Amoudi was involved in planning the October 7 attacks and was actively working to rebuild the organization’s military infrastructure. The army stated it was still verifying whether Amoudi was killed or injured in the blast.
Reporting from kumparan.com and antaranews.com highlighted contrasting assessments of the wider security situation, noting that localized strikes and artillery fire continued across Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Palestinian health authorities state that more than 1,400 people have been killed by Israeli operations in Gaza since the ceasefire framework took effect, while the military reports four soldiers killed by armed groups over the same period.
Israeli strike kills Palestinian civilians while targeting Hamas figure
Who were the civilian victims identified in the Al-Asala 1 apartment strike?
The victims included Palestinian Christian residents Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter Mary Najjar, who were church servants assisting refugees, as well as university lecturer Yasmin al-Boubou and her mother Halloum al-Boubou, according to detik.com.
What was the stated target of the Israeli military operation?
The Israel Defense Forces stated they targeted Ali al-Amoudi, described as a senior Hamas figure, close associate of Yahya Sinwar, and head of the Hamas political office in Gaza, as reported by kumparan.com.
Where were the funeral services held for the church volunteers?
Family members, local residents, and community members attended the funeral services for Maisa Abu Dawoud and Mary Najjar at the Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, as noted by kumparan.com.
What do official figures indicate regarding casualties since the prior ceasefire?
Gaza health officials report that at least 1,445 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,000 injured in ongoing military actions following the ceasefire agreement, according to figures cited by antaranews.com.
Keep reading