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Israeli air strike destroys high-rise in Gaza housing media outlets

This is the fourth high-rise to have been targeted by Israel this week

CAIRO, May 15. /TASS/. An eleven-story building in Gaza where offices of several media outlets, apartments and businesses were located was hit by four Israeli missiles on Saturday. According to Al Arabiya TV channel, Al Jalaa building which became the fourth high-rise to be destroyed as a result of the strikes, housed an office of this Qatari TV channel, as well as the Associated Press and other media outlets.

The residents of the building which was considered one of the tallest in Gaza were given an hour to evacuate. This is the fourth high-rise to have been targeted by Israel this week because it allegedly housed offices, headquarters or warehouses of the Hamas movement.

An exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Palestinian radicals from the Gaza Strip began on May 10 following an outbreak of violence near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City in early May. Clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli police were triggered by an Israeli court ruling to seize dwelling houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from Arab families who have been living there for more than 50 years in favor of Jewish resettlers who had reportedly owned these buildings before 1948. According to the latest data, no less than ten Israelis were killed, the Palestinian side reports almost 140 fatalities, including almost 40 children.

During this time, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of the Gaza Strip, over 500 housing units were completely destroyed, about 3,000 residential buildings were seriously damaged. For instance, the 16-story Ash-Shuruq, the 14-story Hanadi Tower, the 8-story Jawhara Tower and the Industrial Bank building were completely destroyed.

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