Overview

• The Israeli army announced on July 1 that it has launched a formal review of the June 30 airstrike on the al-Baqa café in Gaza City.
• Gaza’s Civil Defense and local authorities confirm 24 civilians were killed, among them photojournalist Ismaïl Abou Hatab and artist Amina al-Salmi.
• Witnesses describe bodies strewn across the café’s ruined seaside terrace after the strike flattened one of Gaza’s few remaining communal refuges.
• Civil society groups and families have held public memorials to honor the victims and denounce what they call a deliberate assault on civic life.
• Israel maintains the strike targeted multiple Hamas militants and asserts steps were taken to minimize civilian harm before the incident.