Thousands of people gathered on Friday in Beit Lahyia during the funeral ceremony for the 21 victims of a fire in a residential building in Jabaliya refugee camp occurred on Thursday.
Footage filmed at the mourning prayers, held at the Rashidun Caliphs Mosque, shows the attendees carrying the victims’ bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags.
Abd al-Latif al-Qanou, spokesperson for the organisation Hamas, blamed the tragedy on the Israeli occupation, “due to not allowing the entry of civil defence capabilities and supplies”, he said.
The fire reportedly started at the facility in Jabaliya refugee camp because of faulty gas storage, but a family spokesperson reportedly said that furniture made from flammable materials was likely to have accelerated the flames. There have been previous cases of house fires caused by candles and gas leaks.
