On 1 November 2023 dozens of civilians, including at least one identified civilian woman, were reportedly killed and dozens of others, including Civil Defence members, were injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on the gathering of civilians near al-Sharq Bakery located on al-Nasr Street in Gaza City, and on the ambulances that arrived to evacuate the wounded, reportedly making this a double tap strike. According to multiple sources, many people were queuing at the bakery at the time of the attack as it was reportedly the last operating bakery in Gaza City.
One victim of the attack was identified by her niece Ahmad Salha in a Facebook post as 59-year-old woman Naama Hamid Muhammad Al-Halabi (Umm Ibrahim). No further information was provided about the woman.
Although no further names were given at the time of writing, almost all sources reported dozens killed in the attack.
Reports immediately flooded in from multiple sources, including Shehab News Agency, that a number of men working for the Civil Defence had been injured in the alleged Israeli attack. Amongst these was the official Civil Defence spokesman, Major Mahmoud Basal.
Many images shared by various sources showed the blood-soaked bread that people had been queuing by the bakery to receive at the time of the attack. Some reports stated that hundreds of citizens were waiting in front of the bakery prior to the attack. Almost all sources reported a high number of injuries, in particular injuries among Civil Defense members.
Multiple sources, including the Wafa News Agency and posts to social media, reported that the airstrike attacked not only the bakery but also medical personnel and ambulances attempting to help and transport the injured people to hospital. In a video posted by Palestine Post, showing the injured arriving at the hospital, an ambulance covered in dust and debris could be seen arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the attack. The video showed many people including men, women and children being rushed from ambulances in varying states of injury.
Al-Araby News reported that the Government Information Office in Gaza had reported that the Israelis had bombed the gathering of citizens in front of the bakery, and attacked an ambulance attempting to undertake rescue operations. Other sources reported that the airstrike hit a home next to the bakery.
It is unclear exactly how many were injured in the attack but multiple sources reported the Director of al-Shifa Hospital as having said dozens of killed and wounded arrived as a result of the alleged Israeli airstrike.
An aerial video of the scene, shared by Al Jazeera Palestine, showed absolute devastation across a large area. Buildings have been completely flattened, with piles of rubble everywhere.
The only named victim, Al-Halabi, has been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023 the MoH has released six lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 15, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, her name was matched to the second ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on January 7th, 2024.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.