Israeli army destroys high rise

Tel Aviv (dpa) — The Israeli army bombed a 12-storey high-rise building in Gaza City on Friday.

Eyewitnesses reported that the building, known as Mushtaha Tower, was completely destroyed.

The Israeli military justified the attack by saying that the Palestinian militia Hamas had used the high-rise building for military purposes. Hamas was also said to have operated in tunnels running under the building.

The information could not be independently verified.

The army also emphasized that the residents of the building and its surroundings had been warned of the attack.

A spokesman for the Hamas-controlled civil defence force said that initial findings suggested there had been no casualties. At the same time, tent camps for Palestinians displaced by the war around the high-rise building had been severely damaged, he said.

In a press statement, the building’s management refuted Israel’s claim that Hamas had used the high-rise building for its purposes. Only civilians displaced by the war had access to the building, it said. The building was free of cameras, security equipment and weapons.

This information could not be independently verified either.

The attack on the high-rise building is part of the Israeli armed forces’ efforts to increase military pressure on the city of Gaza.

Shortly before the attack, the army announced that it would attack high-rise buildings where Hamas was said to have set up sniper positions and command centres.

Israel’s government plans to take Gaza City in the north of the sealed-off coastal area. Around 1 million people are believed to be there. The plan is controversial both in Israel itself and internationally.