An Israeli airstrike killed at least five Palestinians, including four women, in an apartment building in Gaza City in the early hours of this Saturday, according to health and civil defense authorities.
Among the dead were a Christian mother, Maisa Abu Dawoud, and her daughter Mary, according to health professionals and the church.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The strike destroyed the apartment building and sparked a fire.
“We were sleeping and, suddenly, we heard ongoing attacks and loud explosions. The children woke up frightened and began to run and scream,” said witness Ahmed Al-Dahdouh.
“We ran out and discovered that our neighbor’s house had been hit and there were dismembered martyrs, women, men and children. We began pulling them from there; they were scattered beneath the rubble,” he told Reuters.
Israel, which says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, has intensified its attacks against the group in recent weeks.
Hamas denied trying to carry out attacks or rebuild its arsenal and accused Israel of undermining the Gaza peace agreement.
The ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by the United States last year, envisages the eventual reconstruction of the territory. But little progress has been made in implementing an agreement to end the conflict, which includes provisions for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its troops.
Friends, including Muslims, and relatives gathered at the Church of Saint Porphyrius, in Gaza City, to pay tribute during the funeral of the Christian mother and daughter. Christians account for only about 1% of the population of more than 2 million people in Gaza.
“Today is, without a doubt, the worst day of my life. I have lost my mother and my grandmother today,” said Fouad Al-Najjar.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, the Greco-Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem mourned the deaths of Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter, Mary, and expressed its condolences to the family.
Gaza health authorities said that at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire last October. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza in the same period.
