At least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike that struck Al-Baqa Cafeteria, a popular seafront venue frequented by activists, journalists, and local residents in western Gaza on Monday, according to medical sources and eyewitness accounts.
Rescue teams recovered 20 bodies and evacuated dozens of wounded from the outdoor venue, which featured tents along the beach, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence told the BBC.
The spokesperson added that emergency crews were continuing to search through a large crater created by the explosion.
“I was on my way to the café to use the internet, just a few meters away, when a massive explosion occurred,” Aziz Al-Afifi, a cameraman with a local production company, told the BBC.
“I rushed to the scene. My colleagues were there, people I see every day. The scene was horrific—bodies, blood, screaming everywhere.”
Videos circulating on social media, reportedly posted by activists, appeared to capture the moment a missile, believed to have been fired from an Israeli warplane, hit the area. The footage showed the aftermath of the attack, with bodies strewn across the ground.
Al-Baqa Cafeteria had become a well-known hub for journalists, activists, and remote workers, providing internet access, seating, and workspace along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.
There was no immediate statement from the Israeli military regarding the incident.
The strike followed a series of Israeli air raids across the Gaza Strip overnight, which witnesses said triggered mass displacement of hundreds of Palestinian families.
Rescue teams recovered the bodies of five people, and dozens of injured civilians were evacuated to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, according to local reports.
The bombardment follows one of the largest evacuation orders issued since the war resumed in March.
The incident occurs amid mounting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refocus efforts on achieving a ceasefire agreement.
On Saturday, former US President Donald Trump stated on social media that Netanyahu was “right now” working on negotiating a deal with Hamas. This followed reports earlier in the week that a senior Hamas official said mediators had intensified efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remained stalled.
A two-month ceasefire collapsed in March when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza. The ceasefire deal, which started on 19 January, was intended to have three stages, but did not progress beyond the first stage.
Following this, Israel implemented a total blockade on humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which it partially eased after 11 weeks following pressure from US allies and warnings of starvation from global experts.
The partial easing involved the creation of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Since GHF took over distribution operations, there have been almost daily incidents of killings and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid.
Eyewitnesses and medical personnel have attributed the incidents to Israeli forces, although Israel has stated that it has only fired warning shots towards individuals it considered a threat.
Residents in Gaza City reported that dozens of Israeli air raids targeted densely populated eastern neighbourhoods, including Shujaiya, Tuffah, and Zeitoun.
Videos shared on social media captured scenes of chaos and explosions illuminating the night sky, followed by flames and thick plumes of smoke rising above the skyline.
One of the strikes reportedly hit a school in Zeitoun that had been sheltering displaced families.
“Explosions never stopped… it felt like earthquakes,” Salah, 60, from Gaza City, told Reuters news agency.
“In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near, but on the ground, we see death and we hear explosions,” the father of five added.
The five fatalities reportedly occurred in a strike at the Al Shati camp, located west of Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously instructed residents to evacuate large parts of northern Gaza in anticipation of the attacks. Most of those displaced overnight moved westwards within Gaza City rather than to the southern region as instructed by the IDF.
“We had no choice but to leave everything behind,” said Abeer Talba, a mother of seven who fled Zeitoun with her family.
“We received phone call recordings in Arabic telling us we were in a combat zone and must evacuate immediately.”
“This is the seventh time we’ve been forced to flee,” she added. “We’re in the streets again, no food, no water. My children are starving. Death feels kinder than this.”
Amid the growing humanitarian crisis, fears are mounting that the evacuation orders and sustained air strikes are part of a broader Israeli plan to expand its ground offensive deeper into Gaza.
However, there is also speculation in Israeli media that some generals are close to concluding that military operations in Gaza are nearing their objectives.
That is also the view of many former army leaders who fear that the descent of the Gaza campaign into more attritional, guerilla-style warfare would lead to more deaths – of hostages, civilians and soldiers.
The Israeli prime minister’s next moves are being closely watched. While Benjamin Netanyahu’s instincts have always been to continue the war and defeat Hamas, he is coming under increasing pressure at home and abroad to pursue a new ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military launched its bombardment of Gaza in response to the attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
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