Israel levels Gaza high-rise tower near Palestinian civilian encampment
A high-rise building in Gaza City was leveled by an Israeli strike on Friday, videos verified by ABC News show. Mushtaha Tower was located in the west of the city, near several large tent encampments where Palestinian civilians are sheltering.
Video reviewed and verified by ABC News shows the moment the tower collapses, rippling the canvas of an encampment's tents. The verified footage shows at least three Israeli projectiles hitting the tower -- people can be seen running as smoke engulfs the tent encampment.
Israeli officials claimed the building belonged to Hamas, shortly after issuing evacuation orders.
"Now the bolt is being removed from the gates of hell in Gaza," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in Hebrew in a Friday post on X. "When the door opens, it will not close and IDF activity will increase -- until the Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israel's conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and disarmament -- or they will be destroyed."
Earlier Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement warning that "over the coming days," it "will attack several buildings that have been converted into terrorist infrastructure in preparation for expanding the operation into Gaza City: cameras, surveillance rooms, sniper and anti-tank missile launching positions, and command and control centers."
Mashtaha Tower management denied the Israeli accusations, issuing a statement after the high-rise was destroyed.
"We confirm that the tower, since its targeting last year, has been under strict supervision by the management, and only displaced civilians are allowed entry," they wrote.
"We categorically confirm that the tower is free of any cameras or security equipment, and that all its floors are open and uncovered, containing no cameras, light or heavy weapons," the building's management added.
Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, said in a statement that Israel's "attempts to justify targeting residential towers and destroying the city of Gaza with false claims of their use by Hamas are nothing but flimsy excuses and blatant lies, aimed at covering up its heinous crimes against unarmed civilians and continuing the policy of extermination and total destruction of the Gaza Strip."
Mashtaha Tower was believed to be empty due to the forced evacuation. However, one of the largest displacement camps is located near the site, where hundreds of families are currently living in tents.
At least 69 Palestinians were killed and 422 injured over the past 24 hours as a result of Israeli forces, Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health said on Friday. Among those were six people killed and 190 injured while trying to collect humanitarian aid, according to the health ministry.
Three people starved to death in the war-torn Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health also said Friday. At least 376 people have died of starvation, including 134 children, since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 surprise terrorist attack in Israel, according to the health ministry.
