Israeli army bombs new high-rise tower in Gaza City, displaces hundreds

By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army bombed the Mecca Tower in Gaza City on Sunday, shortly after ordering residents to evacuate, witnesses said.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the site after the attack on the multi-story building in the southern Rimal neighborhood, an Anadolu reporter said.

The building had sheltered hundreds of displaced Palestinian families, while hundreds of tents housing other displaced civilians were spread around it.

The attack came shortly after the army warned residents to evacuate the tower and head to al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza.

Though designated as a “safe zone,” al-Mawasi was repeatedly attacked by Israel, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries amid dire living conditions for civilians there.

The Israeli army has bombed dozens of high-rise towers and hundreds of residential buildings across Gaza City in recent weeks, in what Palestinian officials and human rights groups say is a policy aimed at forcibly displacing residents and emptying the city ahead of occupying the area.

The Israeli army has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.