At least 21 people have died in a fire in a four-story apartment building in the Gaza Strip. At least 30 were injured, rescue workers said. According to the Palestinian media, several children are among the dead. The fire broke out on the top floor of a house in the town of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. It took over an hour to get it under control.
According to the Interior Ministry in Gaza, according to initial findings, large quantities of fuel are said to have been stored in the building. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. Eyewitnesses reported that a celebration was taking place in the building when the fire broke out. Videos showed how numerous emergency services tried to extinguish the flames.
According to his adviser, Hussein al-Sheikh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Friday a day of mourning “when flags will be flown at half-mast at all official locations.” Jabalia is the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and was established in 1950. Today, more than 110,000 registered refugees live there in an area of just under one and a half square kilometers.
Around 2.2 million people live in the coastal strip under very poor conditions. According to the UN Emergency Relief Office (Ocha), more than 60 percent of the residents are dependent on relief supplies. Clean water is scarce, electricity is only available for a few hours a day. Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, violently seized power in the Mediterranean coastal strip in 2007. Israel then tightened a blockade of the area, supported by Egypt.