Deir al Balah: In a further erosion of the putative ceasefire in Gaza Strip, illegal occupation forces conducted an airstrike in central Gaza, targeting a warehouse used to store aid east of Az Zawayda. Video footage from the scene captures a large plume of smoke rising into the sky, alongside debris and shrapnel being thrown into the air. 

At least seven people are believed to have been killed but that number is expected to rise as rescuers clear the rubble and take a full accounting of those present at the site.

Available footage shows the moment of impact of the strike, followed by a powerful explosion that sent shrapnel and debris scattering across the area. A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the location, hindering rescue operations.  

This strike occurred amid ongoing occupation military operations throughout the Gaza Strip with international efforts so far failing to mitigate violence in the region. The central part of the tiny coastal enclave has been a focal point of concern, with residential and civilian infrastructure devastated by military activity.

Reports indicate that the airstrike hit a medical warehouse adjacent to al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, completely destroying the facility and severely damaging nearby tents that were sheltering displaced Palestinians. Witnesses reported that the attack caused panic among patients, displaced individuals, and local residents. Witnesses said that the occupying army issued a forced evacuation warning for the area just minutes before the strike. 

Details regarding the specific target of the strike - if any - have yet to be released but the incident is part of a broader pattern of daily attacks on healthcare and aid facilities in Gaza, which have undermined attempts to provide lifesaving care for Gazans and that many international experts including from the UN have said indicate a clear and deliberate pattern of targeting hospitals, medical infrastructure and civilians. 

The Gaza Health Ministry has of yet been unable to assess the full extent of supply losses in the strike but the health sector in Gaza continues to struggle under an occupation blockade, facing severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Tight restrictions on what enters the Strip have debilitated the ability of the limited number of hospitals remaining to care for patients and the wounded.