An earthquake. This is how Jehad Abu Hassan compares the impact of the missiles sent by Israeli soldiers to Gaza in response to the Hamas attack that occurred on Saturday on Israeli territory. The 53-year-old Palestinian Franco lives with his wife and their six-year-old triplets in the Rimal neighborhood in northwest Gaza. “Since the shooting started, it hasn’t stopped. When the mosque next to us was bombed, the smoke came into the house. »
Jehad is afraid, “like everyone else”. Living a few steps from Shifa Hospital, he hears the continuous stream of ambulance sirens. “We don’t know when the strikes will come on us, when it will be our turn. The bombings are so intense that they make the furniture shake. It’s terrifying for my children. We can barely sleep because there is not an hour without bombardment. » If the Franco-Palestinian has experienced previous conflicts, he considers that recent events are completely different. ” I have never seen that. It really is a total blockade of Gaza with bombings everywhere. »
South of the Palestinian enclave, in the town of Khan Younes, several bombings were heard. On Wednesday, a banking establishment was hit by an airstrike and that night, seven Palestinians had to be pulled from the rubble. Among the city’s residents, Ahmad Abureida became aware of the situation after several days of attack: “In Gaza, there is unfortunately no longer a single safe place.”
“We try to calm the children even if we are terrified”
Unlike Israelis who have shelters, whether individual, collective or public, the same is not true for Palestinians. When he heard the missiles falling near his house, Jehad hid his children in the kitchen, away from the windows. “It’s terrifying for children. We tell them “it’s something that hits you, you shouldn’t be afraid, it will pass”.” Yesterday, his children asked him “why are they hitting us like that?” “. “We can’t explain to them so we try to calm them down as best we can even if we are tense and terrified by what’s happening. » The father tries to hold on “because you need someone in the family who helps others. »
Jehad rarely leaves his house. Only to do some shopping in the grocery store 50 meters from his house. The streets are almost deserted. “People are very afraid to go out. » On the way, he passes in front of a school which shelters many displaced people, Palestinians from the Jabalya or Beit Hanoun neighborhoods, in the north of the city. “They received automatic messages from the Israeli army telling them to leave the area because there was going to be a strike. So they leave in a hurry, without being able to take their things. But sometimes they don’t have time to escape.” For Ahmad Abureida, a resident of Khan Younès, the alerts are still too insufficient and do not prevent a high number of civilian victims.
Schools run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) are supposed to be places spared from bombing. “But even schools are affected,” laments the Palestinian Franco. More than 260,000 Gazans have had to flee their homes and move within the Gaza Strip, according to the UN. And their numbers continue to increase.
The hope of a humanitarian truce
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the suspension of deliveries to the Gaza Strip. “We still have water in the tank on the roof of our building but it won’t last,” assures Jehad. Electricity, too, risks running out. “It was completely cut off in the Gaza Strip due to a shortage of fuel,” Ahmad adds. The only power station in the region has in fact ceased its activity this Wednesday and is not likely to restart anytime soon.
The food shortage is also worrying. With the majority of products being imported to Palestine, the risk of a lack of food is immense in the very short term. “For the moment, there is still food, but it will only last a few days,” laments the father. For him, a humanitarian truce is necessary with a corridor to transport food, water and fuel. To make up for the losses, Ahmad – who considers himself a “humanitarian activist” – is trying to raise funds via an online fundraiser. “To stand with my people.”
“What’s happening is really cruel”
For the coming days, Jehad fears a ground operation by Israeli soldiers. “There could be massacres everywhere. What is happening is truly cruel. We must protect civilians on both sides. I hope that the international community will realize that it is civilians, children, women who did not take part in the conflict who are paying the heavy price in this war.”
Today, neither man plans to leave Gaza. Jahed, as a Franco-Palestinian, was offered a UN place to stay safe by the consulate. He refused. “I couldn’t leave with my wife and children and leave my sisters and their families here. We stay together and suffer the same fate.” The same goes for Ahmad, but this time for diplomatic reasons: there is no question of letting Israel occupy Gaza. “This is our country. We will never leave it, even if people live in very difficult conditions.”