Israel Strikes Another Gaza High-Rise, Second in Two Days

Gaza City, Palestine: Israeli forces struck the 15-storey Sussi Tower in Gaza City on Saturday, marking the second high-rise targeted in as many days. The military claimed Hamas used the building for intelligence operations and surveillance.

What Happened

Witnesses reported the Sussi Tower collapsing into dust after the strike.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stated that Hamas had set up intelligence-gathering equipment and observation posts in the building.

Explosives were allegedly placed nearby.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz posted a video of the strike, saying: “We’re continuing.”

Precautions and Warnings

IDF claimed to have taken steps to reduce civilian casualties before the strike.

Residents of Gaza City were urged to evacuate southwards to the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis.

Israel has officially declared Gaza City a combat zone.

Context and Escalation

Friday’s strike destroyed the Mushtaha Tower in Gaza City’s Rimal district under similar accusations.

Both strikes come amid Israel’s wider offensive against Hamas strongholds.

The military has mobilised tens of thousands of reservists for the ongoing campaign.

Humanitarian Concerns

It remains unclear if there were any casualties in the recent strikes.

Palestinians reported that displaced families had been sheltering near the towers.

Satellite images showed tents set up around the destroyed buildings.

Background

The war stems from Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel and led to 251 hostages being abducted.

Since then, Gaza’s health ministry reports over 64,000 Palestinians killed, nearly half of them women and children.

Israel faces domestic protests and international condemnation for the humanitarian toll and risks to remaining hostages.