GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Alternative means of transport, resorted to by residents of the Gaza Strip amid vehicle destruction and fuel shortages, were not spared from Israeli targeting. An Israeli aircraft bombed today, Wednesday, a civilian passenger car towing a transport cart near the Council of Ministers in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, west of Gaza City, which resulted in the martyrdom of five citizens and the injury of 15 others, including those in critical condition.
The targeting comes at a time when residents of the Strip rely on simple and alternative means of transport to meet their daily needs, after traditional means of transport declined, large numbers of vehicles were destroyed, and fuel was lacking, making the “Aqla” cart an imperative tool for moving between neighborhoods and reaching hospitals, markets, and service areas.
The Hamas Movement said in a press statement that the massacre committed by the occupation army west of Gaza City represents another chapter of the war on the Palestinian people, holding the occupation responsible for the repercussions of its ongoing escalation in the Strip.
It added that the continuation of assassinations, shelling, and targeting of civilians undermines the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, calling on mediators, guarantor countries, and the US administration to move from merely tracking violations to taking practical steps to stop them and compelling the occupation to respect existing understandings.
Targeting the lifeline of movement
Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, said that the direct targeting of the “Aqla” cart near the Council of Ministers in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood carries dangerous implications and reflects a development in targeting the alternative civilian infrastructure for residents.
Al-Thawabta told SAFA Agency that the “Aqla” has become one of the most prominent imperative means of transport in Gaza after the destruction of vehicles and the lack of fuel, warning that targeting it threatens the remaining movement lifeline for citizens to reach their basic needs, foremost among which are medical treatment and transport.
He explained that these carts are mostly open, crowded with passengers, and lack the most basic standards of safety and protection, making the bombing more dangerous for those in them, especially since parts of them are made of lightweight materials or recycled iron.
He pointed out that shrapnel and pressure resulting from explosions could cause deaths, severe injuries, and limb amputations, given the lack of protection inside these carts.
Additional paralysis in Gaza
Al-Thawabta warned that targeting alternative transport means not only threatens the lives of passengers, but could also lead owners of these vehicles to refrain from working for fear of being targeted, aggravating the transport crisis inside the Strip.
He said that spreading fear among drivers and vehicle owners could lead to additional paralysis in the transport system, threatening to sever ties between cities and isolate residential neighborhoods from hospitals, markets, and service centers.
These fears acquire special importance in a Strip where the war destroyed a large part of its civilian infrastructure, leaving residents relying on alternative solutions to secure their simplest daily needs, from moving around and buying food to accessing medical services.
Ongoing breaches of the truce
The targeting of the transport cart comes amid the continuation of Israeli shelling in various areas of the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 2025.
The Hamas Movement held the Israeli occupation responsible for the repercussions of its ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip, confirming that the continuation of assassinations, shelling, and targeting of civilians undermines the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and calls for actual intervention by mediators and guarantor countries to stop the attacks.
Hamas believes that the continuation of shelling on various areas of the Strip confirms the occupation’s disavowal of its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, considering assassination operations, gunfire, and targeting of civilians a highly dangerous development for which the occupation and its leaders bear full responsibility for its repercussions.
According to PIC, the targeting of the passenger car towing a civilian transport cart west of Gaza City resulted in five martyrs and 15 injured, some in critical condition, in an incident that brings back to the forefront the dangers now surrounding even the simple means of transport that the residents of the Strip rely on in their daily lives.
