The Israeli army on Monday completely destroyed the Al-Ghafri Tower, a 20-story building in western Gaza, which was among the tallest buildings in the area. Before the attack, residents were notified and asked to leave the building within minutes.
The video below shows the moments when families were filmed throwing their belongings out of windows in panic as they tried to salvage what they could after Israel gave them "a few minutes to escape" from the Mahna Tower in Gaza City before it was bombed and destroyed.
The tower housed hundreds of Palestinian families, as well as the offices of several media outlets and various businesses. The attack also caused damage to nearby homes, while a cloud of black smoke covered the area, causing panic and a hasty evacuation of residents, according to testimonies from citizens.
The neighborhood around the tower is one of the most populated in Gaza City and is home to tens of thousands of displaced people from the northern and eastern parts of the region.
The Israeli military had warned of the evacuation of the building and nearby campsites, saying the area would be hit “very soon.” According to Israeli forces, the militant group Hamas was using the facility for military infrastructure, a claim the organization has repeatedly denied.
