Saturday 20 January 2024

Palestinians tell of fears for the future as war destroys Gaza

 Palestinians tell of fears for the future as war destroys Gaza

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Palestinians at scene of air strike in northern Gaza Strip (13/10/23)IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
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Large parts of Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli air strikes

Some of the heaviest battles in Gaza in recent days have been around the southern city.

Already displaced families have been fleeing the area of the Nasser hospital, the largest still functioning in the territory.

More than 24,900 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its response to the 7 October Hamas attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Hamas attack in Israel killed around 1,300 people, most of them civilians, and saw 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.

Israel says its air and ground operation in Gaza is aimed at destroying Hamas.

The majority of Gaza's 2.3 million people are displaced and fight daily to find food, drink and medicine.

Mohammed al-Khaldi, a father of two children displaced from Gaza City, told the BBC: "I lost my home, my shop and my source of income. I am no longer able to provide the simplest requirements of life for my children.

"I hold the Israeli occupation responsible for the massive destruction, but I do not absolve Hamas of responsibility for everything that happened," he said.

Hamas is the Palestinian group which has run Gaza since 2007. Its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, was thought to have about 30,000 members before the 7 October attack.

"The worst thing that could happen is that we return to the previous situation, to a war every two or three years. The situation was difficult before the war and has become catastrophic now," Mr Khaldi said.

"The prices of goods have risen tenfold and most basic necessities are not available. I wish to die a thousand times every day when I look into my children's eyes and feel terrible helplessness because I am not able to feed them."

Most of the people I spoke to in Khan Younis said that the Israeli army was advancing towards the city centre.

They are working underground more than above ground, said Naji Mahmoud, one of the displaced people from Gaza City. Mr Mahmoud witnessed a major Israeli attack that took place in northern Gaza and left for Khan Younis during the week-long humanitarian truce at the end of November.

"We feel that the ground is shaking under us, something like an earthquake, and this is repeated almost every evening, the bombings seem to target the tunnels," he told the BBC. "When we were in Gaza [City], most of the attacks were from the air."

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68034128

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