“Thirty Minutes to Flee”: Gaza Families Recall Final Moments Before Israeli Tower Strike

📌 Top-line: Palestinian families in Gaza City have recounted harrowing scenes of panic and heartbreak as Israeli forces bombed high-rise residential towers, forcing dozens of displaced civilians to flee with just minutes’ notice. The destruction of Mushtaha Tower on September 5 marked a deadly escalation in Israel’s campaign to seize Gaza City.

📝 Description: In a deeply personal account published by Al Jazeera, Abu Salah Khalil described the chaos of evacuating his family—including elderly parents and a disabled father—from their sixth-floor apartment in Mushtaha Tower. With no electricity and only 30 minutes to escape, families scrambled down stairwells, carrying children and dragging loved ones through smoke and screams.

The tower, home to 96 apartments and many displaced families, was reduced to rubble after two successive Israeli strikes. “I wished I could embrace the house walls and tell them: stay strong,” Abu Salah said. His family now sleeps on the streets, with children asking, “Where will we sleep?”

Other residents, like Nadia Maarouf, fled tents near al-Soussi Tower after hearing it was next to be bombed. Her son, who lost a leg in a previous strike, screamed in fear as the family scattered in different directions. “My heart was breaking from fear,” she said.

Architect Sarah al-Qattaa mourned the loss of al-Ru’ya Tower, designed by her late husband. “It wasn’t just stones collapsing—it was a lifetime disappearing,” she said.

📚 Summary:

•     🏢 Mushtaha Tower bombed on Sept 5; families given 30 minutes to flee
•     🧓 Elderly and disabled residents carried down stairwells without power
•     🛏️ Families now homeless, sleeping on bare ground
•     🏚️ Al-Soussi and al-Ru’ya Towers also destroyed in recent strikes
•     🗣️ Survivors describe trauma, loss of homes, and shattered memories

🌍 Context: Israel’s intensified assault on Gaza City has targeted dozens of residential towers, displacing thousands and deepening the humanitarian crisis. With over 64,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, the destruction of vertical housing—often sheltering multiple families—has become a symbol of collective loss and urban erasure.

🔗 References: Al Jazeera & TQ Desk