At least 21 people were killed and several others injured in a fire at a building where residents were attending a party in the Gaza Strip, health and civil emergency officials said Thursday. It took firefighters more than an hour to bring under control the massive flames that ripped through the top floor of a four-story residential building in the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Ambulances took several injured to local hospitals, and Israel, which maintains a blockade of Gaza along with Egypt, said it would allow those who needed medical treatment.
Gaza’s interior ministry said initial investigations revealed a large amount of gasoline had been stored at the site, fueling the fire, which quickly engulfed the building. Witnesses said they heard screaming but were unable to help those inside due to the intensity of the fire. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called it a national tragedy and said there would be a day of mourning.
Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority urged Israel to open the Erez crossing with Gaza for transporting serious cases for treatment outside the enclave. If needed. The President has given instructions to expedite all forms of medical and other assistance,” Sheikh said on Twitter.
Tor Wennesland, the UN peace envoy for the Middle East, expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of those who died in the incident in a post on Twitter. Jabalia is one of eight refugee camps in Gaza, home to 2.3 million people and one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
