Israel today demolished a 14-story tower in the city of Gaza, headquarters of the US news agency Associated Press, the Al Jazeera news network and other international media.

The occupants received an eviction order before the attack took place. It is the fifth high tower that the Israeli aviation bombed in the current military escalation with the Gaza militias.

The collapse of the Al Jalaa tower was captured live by multiple international television channels, including those that until today broadcast from there.

According to the Israeli Army, the building “contained military assets belonging to the military intelligence” of the Islamist Hamas movement.

An Israeli military spokesman added that Hamas chose this building to house its assets precisely because of the presence of the media there, which it said are “used as human shields” for the group.

This incident took place shortly after Palestinian militias in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets towards Tel Aviv, most of which were intercepted, although one hit nearby Ramat Gan, where a 55-year-old man was killed and 13 people were injured.

These attacks were just two of the many that were recorded this Saturday, including numerous rocket fire at Israeli communities bordering Gaza and several Israeli bombings on what they described as Hamas military targets.

These episodes brought to at least 140 the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of this escalation on Monday, including 40 children, and that is in addition to the 1,000 wounded registered so far.

In Israel, on the other hand, there are 10 fatalities, eight of them due to the impact of rockets and two who died from falls while running to protect themselves in anti-aircraft shelters. The number of injured in Israel so far today exceeded 250.

All of this takes place while the US State Department’s Deputy Under Secretary for Palestinian and Israeli Affairs, Hady Amr, is in the region to try to mediate between the parties, following the visit this week by Egyptian delegations, which failed manage a ceasefire during their meetings in both Gaza and Tel Aviv.

Categorized in: