Israeli Air Strike on Gaza Cafe Kills at Least 20, Witnesses Say

An Israeli air strike targeted Al-Baqa Cafeteria, a popular seafront venue in western Gaza, killing at least 20 Palestinians on Monday, according to medics and eyewitnesses. The outdoor cafe, frequented by journalists, activists, and locals for its internet access and workspace, was reduced to rubble, with rescue teams recovering 20 bodies and treating dozens of wounded.

A spokesperson for Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence reported that emergency crews were still searching through a deep crater caused by the explosion. Aziz Al-Afifi, a local cameraman, described the scene: “I was metres away when the explosion hit. It was horrific—bodies, blood, and screams everywhere.” Social media footage showed the moment a missile, reportedly from an Israeli warplane, struck the cafe, with bodies scattered across the beachside site.

The attack followed a wave of overnight Israeli air strikes across Gaza, which displaced hundreds of families and killed at least five people, with dozens more injured, according to local reports. One strike hit Al-Falah school in Zeitoun, a shelter for displaced families. “It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, a 60-year-old Gaza City resident. “We hear talk of a ceasefire, but on the ground, it’s death and explosions.”

The strikes come amid renewed pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue a ceasefire. US President Donald Trump recently claimed on social media that Netanyahu was negotiating with Hamas, though a senior Hamas official said talks remain stalled. A two-month ceasefire collapsed in March, followed by Israel’s blockade on Gaza’s humanitarian aid, partially eased after global outcry over starvation risks.

The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza before the strikes, but many residents, like Abeer Talba, a mother of seven, fled within Gaza City rather than south as instructed. “This is the seventh time we’ve been forced to flee,” she said. “We’re in the streets, with no food or water. Death feels kinder.”

The Israeli military has not commented on the cafe strike. Since the war’s resumption, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports over 56,000 deaths, following an initial attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages.

The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, has overseen aid distribution since, but reports of killings and chaos near aid sites persist, with over 500 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel maintains it only fires warning shots at perceived threats.