As the Israeli war on Gaza enters its 30th day, the besieged and impoverished Strip keeps reeling under new Israeli massacres.
The Palestine Chronicle asked people in Gaza, mostly displaced refugees in the central part of the Strip, to describe the horrific situation they are experiencing.
‘We No Longer Love the Night’
Palestinian engineer Mohammad Al Taweel told The Palestine Chronicle that his children have developed new fears.
“My children become terrified as dusk appears,” he told us.
“Israeli airstrikes intensify in Gaza during the night, and we huddle together, with the constant roar of bombs surrounding us from all sides.”
“Israeli airstrikes continue during the day, but they intensify at night. The night has become a source of terror for all of our children. We all sit together in one place and sleep together in the same room. We try to console them, but the recurring Israeli airstrikes make our words seem like something from a fantasy,” he continued.
‘No One is Safe Except the Martyrs’
Hussam Qoush is a nurse at Al-Shifa hospital.
He told The Palestine Chronicle that he has dealt with hundreds of cases of killed and wounded during his work since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7.
About 10,000 civilians sought refuge on the grounds of Al-Shifa, but Israeli warplanes continued to target the surrounding areas of the hospital. On Friday evening, an ambulance parked at the hospital’s entrance was targeted.
“No one in Gaza is safe from fear, anxiety, and insecurity except for the martyrs,” Qoush said.
“They have been rescued from this nightmare and are in Paradise. If Israeli airstrikes target hospitals, how can anyone taking shelter feel safe after today?”
“At the beginning of the aggression, Israeli forces targeted a building just 50 meters away from the entrance of Al Shifa Hospital. The area around the hospital is crowded with displaced civilians, but targeting the hospital’s entrance was the most dangerous, fearful, bloodiest, and most brutal. Who will stop Israel’s crimes, and who will stand with us in this injustice that we are enduring?” Quosh asked.
‘The Most Painful Israeli Aggression’
Haj Ramadan Imad is 87 years old.
“I lived through the Nakba in 1948, the setback in 1967, the First Intifada in 1987, the Second Intifada in 2000, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the 2006 aggression, the 2008/2009 aggression, the 2012 aggression, the 2014 aggression, the 2021 aggression, and hundreds of Israeli attacks and crimes. But this ongoing 2023 aggression for the past 28 days is the harshest, most severe, and the most painful,” Imad told The Palestine Chronicle, adding:
“During the 1948 Nakba, Arab armies stood with us and fought alongside us. But today, Arab leaders content themselves with condemnations and denunciation. They are unable to open the Rafah crossing or halt the aggression.”
“We are enduring immense abandonment by Arab leaders. Our hope now lies in the people of the Arab, Islamic, and Western world. We hope that they will continue their demonstrations in support of the people of Gaza,” Imad concluded.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a contributor for The Palestine Chronicle from the Gaza Strip. His email is abdallahaljamal1987@gmail.com
