GAZA - The Ministry of Health in Gaza said Saturday that at least 37 people, including children and pregnant women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential block in central Gaza on Friday night.
The total numbers of casualties from the incident west of the Nuseirat Camp remain unclear but video from the scene showed ambulance crews loading bodies wrapped in blankets, as well as extensive destruction. One video shows dead and injured being brought to Al Aqsa Martyrs’ hospital, including the bodies of several children. According to medical staff, 35 of the 37 victims were members of one family. Nuseirat has seen multiple strikes in recent days.
CNN obtained video of another strike in Nuseirat overnight Friday in which seven people were killed. The Israel Defense Forces released video Saturday of a strike on Friday, saying several Hamas men were living in the area. Witnesses said there was also an overnight strike in the Deir al Balah area of northern Gaza.
Two people said residents had received telephone warnings from the Israel Defense Forces to evacuate within 15 minutes. One young man, Abdallah Maghbara, told CNN that people had fled without anything after being warned to “clear the entire block in 15 minutes” and “clear the 10 houses around the house of Nani Abu Baraka.”
He said after 15 minutes, the Israelis told them “they don’t want to see anyone in the street,” adding: “All of a sudden two missiles fell on the entire block and destroyed completely seven buildings, nothing was spared.”
Subhi Baraka told CNN, “we evacuated the area and returned…and as you can see it is like an earthquake of an entire block.”
