Israel carried out several raids at the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, justifying its action as a response to a rocket fired from the besieged enclave two days earlier.
The raids raised tensions in the Occupied West Bank as well, which has been under increased Israeli military attacks in recent weeks.
The Israeli military claimed that its airstrikes hit “an underground complex containing raw materials used for the manufacturing of rockets” that belonged to the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. But images of the destruction showed that civilian buildings in Gaza were struck, including a photography studio and wedding hall.
Palestine Chronicle correspondent Mahmoud Ajjour visited the site of the bombing and reported on the damage caused by Israeli warplanes, particularly to the “Hollywood Beach Studio”, a wedding hall that, in the words of their creators, was meant to “document people’s joy”.
However, that dream never came true. Indeed, this is the second time the place has been struck by Israeli shells in less than two years.
In June 2021, the Palestine Chronicle visited the wedding hall and talked to Mohammed Hajjaj and Mohammed Nassar, the two owners of the studio.
Then they told the Palestine Chronicle how Israeli missiles, a month earlier, had severely damaged the studio before they were even able to celebrate a single wedding there.
Today, after the second bombing by the Israeli army, the building looks completely destroyed. What was meant to be a place for joy and hope, now lies in ruins.
(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
