Palestinian government workers and volunteers began the process of removing rubble and cleaning debris resulting from an explosion that rocked an old market in Gaza City last Thursday.
The massive explosion in the historic Al-Zawiya market had reportedly killed one Palestinian and wounded ten others. The causes of the blast, according to a spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Interior, Eyad al-Bazam, remain unknown.
The explosion took place in a multiple-story building, resulting in the collapse of the residential structure and serious damages to homes and businesses throughout the area.
“I woke up at the sound of the explosion,” Mohammed al-Tabatibi, a Gaza resident, said, adding, “I left my house and I saw people running, smoke was everywhere and many houses and shops were destroyed. Explosions never take a break in Gaza, even during holidays.”
Last year, 25 Palestinians were killed and scores of others wounded as a result of a massive fire, which itself resulted from a gas leak in a popular market in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
