Airstrikes on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza were 'without warning,' residents say
As the search for people in the rubble continued after airstrikes on Nuseirat, residents of the Palestinian refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip recalled what they say was a "sudden" bombardment.
A home in the camp was hit with two missiles "without warning and suddenly," Ali Siam told ABC News on Thursday from the camp while surrounded by debris a day after the reported Israeli airstrikes.
"More than 10 houses were completely destroyed, and the houses on the outskirts were partially destroyed," Siam said. "What they are doing is wrong. At least call and tell us to evacuate."
Baraa Jahjouh told ABC News the bombardment occurred after the evening prayer on Wednesday.
"For a minute or less, the whole place was destroyed," Jahjouh said.
Officials haven't announced an estimated death toll. Jahjouh said he believes up to 15 people were killed and 30 were injured in the camp.
Siam said he and his family waited for about half an hour for the smoke to clear and then learned that their neighbor's house was hit. He said only one room remains of the home he shared with his brothers.
"We have no furniture, no house, or anything left," he added.
Siam said he has since been displaced to a tent in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah.
The Israel Defense Forces have not publicly commented on the incident. ABC News has reached out for comment.
The bombardment was the latest on Nuseirat refugee camp since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of neighboring Gaza after the terrorist group Hamas, the enclave’s militant rulers, led a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
In war-torn Gaza, more than 30,000 people have been killed and over 71,000 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the IDF. The Hamas terrorists also abducted more than 200 people from southern Israel and took them hostage back to Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
A brief truce in late November allowed for the release of over 100 hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. But progress toward reaching another cease-fire and hostage deal is slow, an Israeli political official with knowledge of the negotiations told ABC News on Wednesday.
The United States, one of Israel’s closest allies, has been mediating the talks between the warring sides along with Egypt and Qatar. After suggesting a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel could happen by Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden is now indicating it may take longer to reach a deal, without offering a new timeline.
"Probably not by Monday, but I'm hopeful," Biden told reporters on Thursday. "Hope springs eternal."
