Israel bombs third residential tower block in Gaza City in three days

Israel has destroyed a third Gaza City residential high-rise in as many days as the military carried out further attacks before a threatened ground offensive.

- William Christou Jason Burke

Israel said it hit Al-Roya Tower yesterday after issuing an evacuation warning. It followed the destruction of the 15-storey Sousi Tower by warplanes on Saturday, with footage posted to social media by the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz.

Strikes on the city overnight into yesterday killed 14 people, local health officials said, including a strike on a school in southern Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians.

Evacuation warnings for both high-rises and surrounding tents sheltering displaced Palestinians were issued on Saturday. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, claimed without providing evidence that the buildings were targets because Hamas had infrastructure inside or near them.

Hamas said the allegations were "baseless lies" and that the high-rises were residential towers.

Katz posted a video to social media of the Sousi Tower collapsing in an enormous cloud of smoke, along with the words: "We continue." On Friday, he had posted the evacuation order on X, saying: "The gates of hell are being unlocked in Gaza City."