Gaza City, January 17 (RHC)-- Twenty Palestinians were killed and dozens buried under the rubble when the Israeli military bombed an apartment building in northern Gaza’s Jabalia following celebrations that a ceasefire deal had been reached to end fighting in the Palestinian territory.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jabalia, Ibrahim al-Khalili, visited the aftermath of the attack where he spoke to Ahmed al-Haj Ali, a boy who was pulled from the rubble of his family’s home following the devastating attack on Thursday night.

“As we were celebrating the ceasefire announcement, the Israeli warplanes took us by surprise,” al-Haj Ali said.  “I woke up to find myself lying in hospital with head injuries.  All my brothers and aunts were killed.  I miraculously survived as a civil defense member pulled me from the rubble,” he said.

Another survivor, Abdullah Khadir, described how his family had gathered at home after the ceasefire was announced and then the Israeli bombs began to fall.

“As I was about to sleep, I heard a loud explosion.  I ran out to find the whole building next to me, leveled to the ground.  Nothing but rubble, dust and smoke rising from the dark skies,” Khadir said.

“I heard screams from under the concrete ruins.  Some civil defense members rushed to our help.   With our bare hands, we managed to pull out the dead and a few survivors,” he said.