- Gaza’s Rimal neighborhood devastated.
- Intensified Israeli airstrikes continue.
- Humanitarian crisis escalates in Gaza.
“Where should we head now? Does this neighborhood, once serene and picturesque, still offer any safe havens?” Desperate residents of an apartment complex in Rimal inquired.
This came after Israeli warplanes launched another series of airstrikes in retaliation for the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. I had just experienced the most grueling seven hours of my life in that location.
Israeli bombs damaged dozens of homes, a telecom office, and Islamic University of Gaza buildings.
Throughout Monday night, anxious explosions rocked the area. Children cried, and sleep was a luxury no one could afford.
“Don’t miss out! Grab your free shares of Webull UK today!”
Usually Gaza City’s wealthiest and most serene neighbourhood, Rimal was suddenly full of memories inhabitants would never forget.
As dawn broke on Tuesday, the destruction became evident, and the intensity of the attacks decreased. The infrastructure in this southwestern neighborhood was severely compromised, with most access roads cut off.
Navigating the area felt like walking through the aftermath of an earthquake. Debris, shattered glass, and severed wires were strewn across the area. Some of the buildings I passed by were unrecognizable due to the extent of the destruction.
“Everything I owned is gone. Mohammed Abu al-Kass carried his daughter Shahd along the street, saying his five children lived in this unit. He wondered if his home and local grocery store were military targets, challenging Israel’s military’s denial of operating against civilians.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, around 300 people, two-thirds of them civilians, were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Monday, making it one of the deadliest days in years.
In the afternoon, at least fifteen people died in the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, northeast of Gaza City. The Israeli military claimed the target was the residence of a Hamas commander. But many people were killed in a nearby market and adjacent homes.
A humanitarian crisis worsens
Since Saturday, 900 people have died in Gaza, including 260 minors, and 4,500 have been injured.
The already dire humanitarian crisis in this small, densely populated region is worsening. In response to Hamas’s attack, Israel imposed a “complete siege” and cut off all supplies to Gaza, leaving the 2.2 million inhabitants without access to food, fuel, electricity, and water.
In the sudden attack on Saturday, a thousand Israelis were killed, and militants took between one hundred and one hundred hostages into Gaza.
“Imagine a twenty-first century where there is no electricity or clean water. With only half a bottle of milk and diapers left for my baby,” said Waad al-Mughrabi, as she surveyed the destroyed building next to her Rimal home.
“Did my child attack Israel?”
On Saturday, scores of residents lined up outside Gaza’s main store to buy supplies, fearful the fighting will continue.
Most of the fresh fruits and vegetables in Gaza are grown in the south, and transportation to the north is becoming increasingly difficult due to the severe gasoline shortage.
Currently, no food or essential supplies have been sent from Egypt, which, like Israel, has imposed a strict blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.
Additionally, people have been unable to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Typically limited to 400 people per day, the Israeli airstrikes on Monday and Tuesday destroyed a Palestinian secondary entrance, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza.
This has forced most of the 200,000 refugees to seek shelter in UN-run facilities. Some fled in panic, while the homes of others were completely destroyed by airstrikes.
Certain Gazans have taken refuge in basements, but the risk of being trapped inside looms should the building above them collapse. On Monday night, forty families found themselves confined to a single cellar.
Rimal resident Mohammed al-Mughrabi commented, “In past conflicts, this part of the city served as a refuge for residents of border areas with Israel.”
The Israeli strikes on Monday night showed that no place is safe anymore.”
