Massive crater seen at IDP camp at Gaza City following Israeli airstrike

(9 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

++CLIENTS NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS SHOTS OF DEAD BODIES++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gaza City, Gaza Strip – 9 January 2026
1. Various of huge crater created by Israeli airstrike that hit camp and destroyed a number of tents belonging to displaced people
2. Various of displaced people inspecting destruction, removing sand from destroyed tents
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Um Nafez Erouq, displaced woman:
“They called and told us to evacuate the tent camp. Why the evacuation? Only God knows, we don’t know. We were displaced in another tent camp and waited a couple of hours when they were striking. There were nearly six projectiles. This hole has six projectiles.”
4. Various of displaced children sitting on sand and playing with kitchen utensils
5. Various of displaced girl sitting among nylon of destroyed tents
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abu Tareq Erouq, displaced man:
“After they launched the projectile, we returned and couldn’t find our tents, our clothes, or our food. We couldn’t find anything from our tents or clothes. We have been digging since the morning, and we could not find anything.”
7. Various of destroyed tents after Israeli airstrike
8. Various of man mourning his killed son
9. Wrapped body on the ground
10. Various of people mourning their killed relative
11. Various of people carrying body and placing in car
12. Various of people near wrapped body on the ground, writings in wall in Arabic with random names of people
13. Various of people crying inside morgue, bodies on the ground



STORYLINE:
Palestinians returned early Friday to their tent camp in northwestern Gaza City, almost 24 hours after the Israeli military asked them to evacuate the area and struck it a few hours later.

With shovels and bare hands, families dug into the rubble to save what was left of their little belongings following the strikes carried out by the Israeli military Thursday evening,

“They called and told us to evacuate the tent camp. Why the evacuation? Only God knows,” Um Nafez Erouq, a displaced woman, said. Her relative said that there was almost nothing left of their belongings following the strikes.

“We returned and couldn’t find our tents, our clothes, or our food,” Abu Tareq Erouq said. “We have been digging since the morning, and we could not find anything.”

The territory’s main hospital, Al-Shifa, saw families gathering on Friday morning, mourning their loved ones whom they lost to the series of strikes on Thursday.

At least 13 people were killed across the Strip on Thursday, according with Nasser and Shifa hospitals where the bodies were taken.

Several others were injured, Gaza's health officials said.

Israel's army said it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area on Thursday.

Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli strikes are a dangerous escalation and a “blatant violation of the ceasefire”.

The phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final hostage in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the nearly three-month-old ceasefire.

Continued Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...