21 Palestinians, including children, killed in massive Gaza fire

Israel has offered the Gazan leadership humanitarian assistance in the evacuation of Palestinian casualties, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.

 Palestinians gather in front of a building as firefighters extinguish a fire which broke out in one of the apartments in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, on November 17, 2022. - A large fire that ripped through a home north of Gaza City killed at least 21 people, including seven (photo credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinians gather in front of a building as firefighters extinguish a fire which broke out in one of the apartments in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, on November 17, 2022. - A large fire that ripped through a home north of Gaza City killed at least 21 people, including seven
(photo credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

At least 21 Palestinians were killed in a fire that erupted Thursday night in a residential area of the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Israeli media reported.

Palestinian Authority-controlled WAFA reported that "scores" of casualties were evacuated from the burning building to a nearby hospital, with the number of casualties likely to increase. Seven children were reported to have died in the fire, according to Israeli reports.

Footage circulated on social media and witnesses said the whole residential building caught fire in a refugee camp in the strip's North, sending flames and smoke from the site. Witnesses said they could hear screaming but they could not reach the victims to offer help because of the intensity of the fire.

 

According to preliminary reports, the building which caught fire stored large amounts of gasoline that potentially ignited, causing the massive flames

PLO official calls on Israel to open Gaza border crossing

PLO Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh called on Israel to open the Erez Crossing, between Israel and the Gaza Strip, to transport Palestinians with severe injuries.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed sorrow on behalf of Israel for the deadly Gaza fire and stated that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) offered humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian leadership in the evacuation of hurt civilians.

"Israel will be right to help the residents of Gaza who were harmed, in order to save lives," Gantz wrote on Twitter.


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PA's Mahmoud Abbas declares day of mourning

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a day of mourning as firefighters continued efforts to control the rising flames. In a speech, Abbas described the fire as a "national catastrophe," ordering all relevant authorities help families of the victims, WAFA reported.

Jabalya is one of eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Reuters contributed to this report. This is a developing story.