Asger Risom
At least 11 people are confirmed dead after an Israeli airstrike hit a multi-story home in northern Gaza, as fears grow that dozens more are trapped under the rubble.
A pre-dawn airstrike by the Israeli military collapsed a four-story house in the Jabalia refugee camp early Friday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense forces.
Hamas officials claim the strike killed at least 11 people and left up to 50 more missing beneath the ruins.
A devastating hit in one of Gaza’s most densely populated areas
The Jabalia camp has been repeatedly targeted during Israel’s ongoing offensive in northern Gaza.
This latest attack, which occurred overnight, adds to the growing death toll in a region already suffering from heavy bombardment, food shortages, and widespread displacement.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway as of Friday morning. Emergency crews say the building housed multiple families. Some survivors have reportedly been pulled from the debris, but the extent of the destruction has made rescue operations slow and dangerous.
“The entire structure came down on people sleeping inside,” a Civil Defense worker told. “We fear the number of dead will rise significantly.”
Tensions escalate as evacuations continue
As reported by 20Minutos, the Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders for several northern districts of Gaza, citing the presence of Hamas militants. The army says it is targeting “terror infrastructure” but has not commented on the Jabalia strike directly.
In recent weeks, the pace of Israeli strikes has increased, even as international pressure grows for a ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains defiant. On Thursday, he called the chant “Free Palestine” the modern-day equivalent of “Heil Hitler” and accused European leaders of falling for “Hamas propaganda.”
International diplomacy in motion
Meanwhile, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday in Istanbul. The leaders are expected to discuss both the Gaza conflict and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Erdoğan has positioned himself as a possible mediator in the Gaza crisis, though little diplomatic progress has been made.
As civilians in Gaza continue to bear the brunt of the violence, aid organizations warn that basic humanitarian conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Rescue teams in Jabalia stress that they need more equipment and international support to continue searching for survivors.