OMM Redaksiyası
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City early Saturday, October 3, killed at least five Palestinians. Health and civil defense officials said four of those killed were women.
The victims included Christian mother Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter, Mary. Medical workers and the church confirmed their deaths. The strike destroyed the building and sparked a fire. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
What witnesses said
Witness Ahmad Al-Dahdouh said his family was asleep when the strike occurred: “We were asleep when suddenly we heard successive strikes and powerful explosions. The children woke up frightened and started running and screaming.”
Israel says Hamas is rearming and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire. Hamas denies the allegations, as Israel has stepped up strikes against the group in recent weeks. The group accuses Israel of violating the Gaza peace agreement.
Funeral and state of the ceasefire
Muslim friends, relatives and family members attended the funeral of the Christian mother and daughter at the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. Christians make up about 1% of Gaza’s population of more than two million.
“Today is, essentially, the worst day of my life. Today I lost my mother and grandmother,” Fuad Al-Najjar said. Later on Saturday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem offered condolences over the deaths of Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter, Mary.
A Gaza ceasefire agreement reached last year with U.S. mediation provides for the territory’s future reconstruction. However, little progress has been made in implementing a plan to end the conflict, which also includes Hamas’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
According to Gaza health officials, at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect last October. Israel says armed individuals in Gaza have killed four of its soldiers over the same period.
