Gaza City blast kills 1, injures 10, shakes crowded area

Gaza City, July 22

An explosion tore through a house in a popular market in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing one person and wounding 10, the Palestinian territory’s interior ministry said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.

The blast in the Al-Zawiya area collapsed large parts of the house and damaged dozens of buildings and shops nearby, according to the statement.

Explosives engineering teams were investigating; civil defence teams and the police were able to control the ensuing fire.

The blast shook the neighbourhood on the third day of Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday.

The Israeli army signalled it wasn’t involved, calling the explosion an “internal” matter in Gaza.

Gaza City is already struggling with heavy damage sustained from an 11-day war in May between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers.

At least 254 people were killed in Gaza during the conflict, including 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Hamas has acknowledged the deaths of 80 militants. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier.

The World Bank earlier this month said rebuilding Gaza would cost USD 485 million, including up to USD 380 million to repair the physical damage alone. AP