Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip. The south of the Palestinian enclave is the epicenter of Israeli bombings after the devastation in the north. Those who abandoned their homes in the north and took refuge in the south, urged precisely by Israel, now have nowhere to go. Israel resumed its offensive after a seven-day ceasefire. Now, Gazans fear for their lives. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has released leaflets warning about places that will be attacked so that the population leaves those areas.
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“Our houses are gone, our property is gone, our money is gone, our children have been killed, some are disabled.”says Abu Wael Nasrallah, 80. He and his family lived in the northern Gaza Strip. They followed Israel’s recommendations to leave the north, after the outbreak of war on October 7. Now, seeing that Israeli forces are advancing towards the south, where it was supposed to be a safe space, he prefers to stay there because, he says, he has already lost everything.
The fear of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has become reality. Israel resumed its offensive in the enclave on December 1. Residents hoped that the temporary ceasefire agreed between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas would not end because they sensed that Israeli attacks would be more intense.
Now, with northern Gaza controlled by the Israeli military, the south is the only space left for the Palestinians. But it was also no longer safe after the truce. In recent hours, more aerial bombardments have been reported. Those who took refuge in this area – following Israel’s recommendations – said on Saturday, December 2, that nowhere is safe and they have nowhere to go.
The city of Khan Younis became the new focus of Israel’s attacks, both air and ground. Wael Nasrallah no longer believes anything the troops of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government say.
“This is nonsense,” he said, saying he had followed Israeli evacuation orders and traveled from northern to southern Gaza.
Israel has been clear: It will not end its military operation until it destroys Hamas. In the north they even entered and took over some areas of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Strip. They alleged that there were tunnels and a Hamas operations center, but no evidence of this was presented. Only videos circulated with weapons and some equipment of alleged members of the Islamist group abandoned in the hospital, something that was denied by the leaders of the Palestinian militia.
The Israeli objective is now the south, which has caused a displacement of hundreds of Palestinians to points closer to the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt.
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fought again in full force. “We continue exactly from the point where we stopped,” Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Minister, said this Saturday at a press conference.
It reported that they destroyed more than 400 Hamas targets, including more than 50 in Khan Younis and nearby areas in southern Gaza. “Thousands of terrorists have been eliminated, dozens of headquarters (have been attacked). “Hundreds of terabytes of information are in our hands, hundreds of terrorists have been captured and are being investigated in Israel,” he added.
“Dear residents of Gaza, please pay attention and consult this map. “Anyone who sees the block number where you live or is close to it should review and follow the instructions of the IDF through various means of communication and obey them,” is the message that appears on the web page that displays a map with the sectors that will be attacked by Israel.
Children, again at risk
According to Israel, it is making every effort to minimize harm to civilians while advancing its offensive. However, since the resumption of attacks on Friday, December 1, some 193 Palestinians have died, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported this Saturday. More than 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza have diedamong them, more than 5,000 children, in the war.
“Today, the Gaza Strip is once again the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. After seven days of lull of horrific violence, fighting has resumed. More children will surely die as a result,” said Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Those who made it to the south must now relocate again to avoid attacks.
Samira and her four children fled Israel’s attacks and found refuge in a house west of Khan Younis. On Friday, the first day after the truce, he said it was a nightmare. “A night of horror,” she said.
Many are improvised tents, on constant alert for a possible attack. Others rest, amidst the din of warin schools or outside the few hospitals that still function.
A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Friday that one of the hospitals was “like a horror movie“, while hundreds of injured children and adults waited for treatment.
The two sides ignored the global clamor to extend the humanitarian pause. Hamas and Israel accuse each other of having caused the breaking of the truce.
All children in the State of Palestine and Israel deserve peace and hope for a better future.
We call on all parties to ensure that children are protected and assisted.
My statement on the summary of fighting in Gaza ▶️ https://t.co/jcbyOAEZVS
—Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) December 1, 2023
The United States has even called on Israel to take more precautions to prevent more innocent Palestinians from being killed in its offensive.
“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the magnitude of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming out of Gaza are devastating,” US Vice President Kamala Harris said during the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
“Where do we go after Deir al Abalah, after Khan Younis?” asks Yemen, a resident of Gaza. A question that millions of Palestinians are asking with the imminent arrival of Israeli troops in the southern Strip.
With Reuters, AP.
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