In the Gaza Strip, a fire that started in a building where occupants were attending a party resulted in at least 21 fatalities and several injuries, according to health and emergency services on Thursday.
In the heavily populated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, huge flames that tore through the top floor of a four-story residential building took firefighters more than an hour to put out.
Several injured persons were taken by ambulances to nearby hospitals, and Israel—which maintains a blockade on Gaza with Egypt—said it would let in anyone in need of medical attention.
According to the Interior Ministry of Gaza, a preliminary examination found that the facility had been used to store significant volumes of gasoline, which fueled the fire that quickly consumed the structure.
Witnesses reported hearing screams, but due to the fire’s severity, they were unable to assist people inside.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine, described it as a national tragedy and announced a day of sorrow.
According to a statement from Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority urged Israel to open the Erez crossing with Gaza so that serious cases could be transported and, if necessary, treated outside the restricted area.
Sheikh wrote on Twitter that “the President provided instructions to provide all types of medical and other assistance quickly.”
In a tweet, Tor Wennesland, the UN’s Middle East peace envoy, offered the families of those killed in the event his “heartfelt sympathies.”
One of the world’s most densely populated locations, Gaza is home to 2.3 million people and eight refugee camps, including Jabalia.
