An Israeli airstrike targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City used by Hamas terrorists that also housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets.
The strike on the high-rise came nearly an hour after the military ordered people to evacuate the 12-story building, which also housed Al-Jazeera, other offices and residential apartments. The strike brought down the entire structure, which collapsed in a gigantic cloud of dust.
Israel gave advance warning of the strike so it could be evacuated and said later the building contained military assets of Hamas, the Islamist terrorist group that runs Gaza, which is backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and classified as a terrorist organisation by the EU.
The United States told Israel “that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, expressed his “grave concern” today over the flareup of violence in Israel and Gaza, the White House announced.
Biden expressed his “strong support” for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks by “Hamas and other terrorist groups”, while raising concerns about journalists’ safety.
The US president also held his first call since taking office with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the violence, in which he called for Hamas, the PA’s rival, to stop firing rockets into Israel.
Later, the IDF said it bombed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a top Hamas leader.
The Israeli military said that the home served as part of what it said was the militant group’s “terrorist infrastructure.”Al-Hayeh’s fate after the strike was not immediately known. Read more at France 24.
{Matzav.com Israel}
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