1 dead, 10 injured in Gaza City market explosion

An explosion at the Al-Zawiya market in Gaza City this morning killed one person and injured ten others, Palestinian media has reported. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.

An explosion has occurred in #Gaza. Unclear what caused it. pic.twitter.com/0MSF7zBy1k

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) July 22, 2021

The Palestinian killed in the blast has been identified by the city’s residents as Atta Saqallah. The injured were transported to Shifa Hospital in the city by the civil defense and ambulance teams, according to the Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip.

Several buildings were damaged in the blast.

READ: Gaza marks Eid two months after last Israeli aggression 

Videos from the scene posted on social media indicated plumes of rising black smoke and significant damage done to nearby structures.

Another Sad morning. An unknown explosion rocks the oldest market in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/wBwxPgBZEd

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) July 22, 2021

BREAKING: Explosion in Gaza — smoke seen rising from the area where it occurred. pic.twitter.com/Ukf5wBiv9K

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 22, 2021

Initial accounts suggest gas pipes nearby residential buildings caught fire before the gas canister exploded. Police explosives experts are investigating the exact cause of the blast.

The explosion comes just two months after Israel’s 11-day bombardment of the coastal enclave, which caused widespread destruction to much of Gaza’s infrastructure, incurring $479 million worth of damages.