GAZA CITY: With their dead relatives wrapped in white burial shrouds, families in northern Gaza mourned their loved ones on Sunday killed in an Israeli air strike that was part of a withering, weeks-long military raid on the area, AFP reported.
The Israeli airstrike late Saturday night, flattened entire blocks of residential buildings in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, killing at least 73 Palestinians and trapping many more beneath the rubble, according to local rescuers.
Families gathered at Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the main medical facilities in northern Gaza, mourning their loved ones wrapped in white burial shrouds. The sight of dead bodies in rows has become tragically familiar as Gaza endures relentless Israeli bombardment.
Many of the injured were treated on the hospital floor, covered in dust from the collapsed buildings. With Gaza’s medical system overwhelmed, doctors worked tirelessly to save lives despite a lack of essential supplies.
Those fortunate enough to survive the airstrikes faced further hardship. Thousands of residents, fleeing the Israeli military’s intensified ground and air assault on Jabalia and other northern areas, trekked south to Gaza City, only to face exhaustion and hunger.
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“We left with nothing but our children, walking a long distance to Gaza City. We are exhausted, with no food or water for the babies,” said Mariam Hamuda, 33, one of the displaced residents.
Her father, Ibrahim Hamuda, 66, voiced the despair felt by many: “We arrived in Gaza from Beit Lahia during the bombardment. We don’t know where to go or stay. There’s no place for us and our families. It feels like dying slowly.”
Israel launched its military assault on northern Gaza on October 6, tightening the siege on the already blockaded region. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled, but many are unable to find refuge amid the ongoing strikes and the lack of available shelter.
Tor Wennesland, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, highlighted the growing horror in Gaza. “The nightmare in Gaza is intensifying,” he said in a statement on Sunday. “Horrifying scenes are unfolding in the northern Strip amidst conflict, relentless Israeli strikes, and an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis.”
The crisis escalated further on Friday, when the UN’s acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya reported that civilians were trapped under rubble in Jabalia, with first responders unable to reach them due to continued shelling.
She added that essential supplies were running out, and hospitals overwhelmed with patients had been struck by Israeli forces.
Gaza’s civil defence agency confirmed that over 400 people have been killed in the past two weeks alone.
Israel has faced mounting criticism over the civilian toll and lack of food and aid reaching Gaza, where the UN has warned of famine.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 42,603 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to data from the health ministry in the territory, figures the UN considers reliable.
Despite mounting international criticism of the civilian toll and the severe shortages of food and medical supplies, the humanitarian situation continues to worsen. In northern Gaza, those who have stayed behind are living in terror as the bombardment shows no signs of abating.
“We are now trapped with no food, water or medicine, facing starvation amid the rubble and destruction,” said Ahmad Saleh, 36, from the Al-Tawbah area. “The situation gets worse every day and we are terrified, wondering when our turn will come.”
