Thousands left homeless after airstrikes reduce Gaza's Al Zahra Towers to rubble
Words by Emily Pringle and Humam Husari
On Thursday morning, the first Israeli raids on the densely populated al-Zahra Towers in Gaza began, destroying five of the 32 tower blocks in the neighbourhood.
At 19:40 that same day, the residents received an alert telling them to evacuate their homes, giving them 10 minutes to leave.
Just 15 minutes later, at 19:55, five roof knocking rockets hit five of the towers, a technique used to let civilians know the building is about to be destroyed by a larger strike.
Shortly after, a second alert was sent, stating that all towers were going to be destroyed.
Fadi Shana, a journalist from Gaza, told ITV News: “Residents thought that it was just the five towers that were going to be targeted, and thought they would be able to come back to the other towers.”
Fadi explained that these towers were home to approximately 3,600 people, and more recently, the neighbourhood was filled with almost three times the number of civilians who fled there from the north, on Israeli instructions.
The residents then left, without any belongings and fled to the nearby Palestine University.No one was killed in the strike, but the blast has now left thousands of residents displaced.
In total, all 25 towers, including neighbouring shops, were destroyed in the blast, leaving residents homeless, most without belongings and forced to search through the rubble for any items they were able to save.
The Al Zahra district is said to be one of the most beautiful areas in Gaza. Fadi told us that there were so many green areas, the streets were clean, and the district has its own council,
Al Zahraa City Council. There is also an infirmary, a police station, and a park.
Mohammad Obeid, a resident of the Al Zahraa Towers, spoke of the moment the strikes hit: “For a few minutes bombing was going on. Only god knew who was still under [the debris], who escaped, who found their kids and who did not.”
Fadi told us: “Since October 7, many displaced people took shelter in the towers, they thought it was a safe haven.
“The towers were outnumbered with so many people, the residents received so many of their displaced relatives.
“The estimated number of those who have been displaced, after the towers were destroyed, is at least 9,500 people.”
Mustafa Darwish, who lived in the towers said: “The city of Al Zahra became debris. Where is the international community? What can I say, I cannot express myself."
Although there is no official figure, there is thought to be over one million people now displaced in Gaza.
On Friday morning, it is thought that many of the displaced residents taking refuge in the Palestine University, have now moved from the area towards places such as southern Gaza.
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