JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Tuesday that it launched a review into a strike on a seafront Gaza cafe it says targeted militants, but which rescuers said killed 24 people.
In a statement to AFP regarding the incident, the army said it had struck “several Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip”.
Gaza’s civil defence said at least 24 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Monday’s strike on the Al-Baqa cafe, a prominent venue along Gaza City’s coastal promenade.
An army spokesperson said that “prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance”.
“The incident is under review,“ he added.
The cafe and restaurant, which had so far survived more than 20 months of war and intense bombings on the Palestinian territory, had become a gathering spot for those not displaced by the conflict.
“There’s always a lot of people at that spot, which offers drinks, spaces for families, and internet access,“ said Ahmad al-Nayrab, 26, who was walking on the nearby beach when he heard a loud explosion.
“It was a massacre,“ he told AFP.
“I saw bits of bodies flying everywhere, bodies mangled and burned. It was a bloodcurdling scene; everybody was screaming.”
An AFP photographer said Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
Qatar, which has mediated between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, said on Saturday a “window of opportunity” had opened for a potential Gaza truce following a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
So far, no concrete signs of renewed talks have emerged.
Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
