Israel’s targeted strike on Hamas leader sparks outrage over civilian deaths

In Gaza City, Israel conducted a pre-dawn airstrike on an apartment in the Rimal neighbourhood, ostensibly to eliminate Hamas's top leader, Ali al-Amoudi. According to the Israeli military, al-Amoudi was the "right-hand man" of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and was involved in plotting the October 7 attack, which cost Israel the lives of over 1,200 people.

The military stated that steps were taken to minimize civilian casualties, employing precision munitions and expressing regret for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals.

However, Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital reported receiving the bodies of five individuals and several injured following the strike, including two Christian women and their daughters. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal confirmed that two missiles directly hit the apartment, leading to a fire and significant damage. The hospital director noted that two of the victims were Christians, who are a minority among Gaza's population of around 1,000 Christians.

Local residents, who were reportedly "minding their own business" when the strike occurred, expressed outrage over the perceived targeting of civilians. Ihab Ayad, a relative of the deceased women, lamented the contrast between the powerful arsenal wielded by the aggressors and their indiscriminate destruction of life. The Israeli military has acknowledged five of its own personnel killed since the ceasefire was announced a year ago, alongside one civilian contractor.

The October 7 attack, perpetrated by Hamas, resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to AFP's tally based on official Israeli figures. The subsequent Israeli offensive has left Gaza in ruins and claimed over 74,200 lives, as confirmed by Gaza's health ministry, whose figures are deemed reliable by the United Nations. Since the ceasefire was declared a year ago, Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than 1,440 individuals, including 1,440 combatants and one civilian contractor.