Iran condoles with Palestine over deaths in Gaza residential building blaze

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has condoled with the Palestinian nation after at least 21 people were killed and several others injured when a fire ripped through a residential building in the densely-populated Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Nasser Kan’ani, in an Arabic-language post on his Twitter account on Friday, extended his deepest and sincere condolences to “dear Palestine and its brotherly people and to the families of the martyrs” over the tragic incident.

He wished a quick recovery for those injured in the blaze, asking God Almighty to bestow patience and solace to the families of victims.

According to local sources, it took Palestinian firefighters more than an hour to bring under control the massive flames, which had swept through the top floor of a four-story residential building.

Witnesses said they could hear people trapped inside screaming, but could not help because of the intensity of the fire.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that several children were among the dead.

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the blaze.

Gaza’s Interior Ministry said an initial investigation revealed that large amounts of gasoline had been stored at the site, fueling the fire that quickly spread and engulfed the building.

Following the tragic incident, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a day of national mourning on Friday to honor the victims of the tragic fire incident, during which flags were flown at half-mast at all official institutions.

He described the blaze as a national catastrophe and ordered all relevant authorities to utilize all available means to help the families of the victims and alleviate their suffering.

SS