Since the onset of the airstrikes in Gaza, Israeli bombardment has killed at least 33, including children and entire families, while hundreds more have been injured. The new escalation comes in the wake of a tenuous ceasefire. Sadly, despite widespread demands for this ceasefire, a truly permanent peace in the region has not been established. Since the ceasefire started, Gaza officials say over 300 have died—over 70 percent of them women and children. This horrific number results from the ongoing Israeli military campaign in the territory.
The conflict is still so deeply rooted and Gaza is completely divided by an unknown force. According to Gaza’s health ministry, an alarming average of more than seven people have been killed daily since the ceasefire went into effect. Health authorities said two consecutive air عمليات as it’s known. These attacks ravaged the Palestinian community, tragically killing 16 people at home, including seven children and three women.
Israeli soldiers resupported by fire in Khan Younis on Wednesday. This attack prompted immediate retaliatory strikes. 36-year-old displaced resident from northern Gaza, Mohammed Hamdouna, expressed despondence, saying that “the war was still going on.” This spirit of resistance is echoed by Palestinians who still sap through the daily reality that oppression creates.
33-year-old Lina Kuraz from the Tuffah neighbourhood east of Gaza City described her terrifying ordeal on an SoS call. She explained her story in an interview with Agence France-Presse. In the meantime, her daughter has suffered years of anxiety at the possibility that war might return.
“My daughter kept asking me all night, ‘Will the war come back?’ Every time we try to regain hope, the shelling starts again. When will this nightmare end?” – Lina Kuraz
That surprise attack sparked the beginning of this new conflict two years ago, killing approximately 1,200 people—including the vast majority of those victims—unarmed civilians and taking 251 others captive. As a rebuttal, the Israeli offensive has resulted in over 69,000 Palestinian deaths. The devastating human cost has left thousands more still buried underneath debris throughout Gaza.
The international community has started to react to the rapidly increasing violent attacks. Qatar has denounced the Israeli airstrikes, calling them “a dangerous escalation that threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement.” The proposal has already received the support of the United Nations Security Council. Under this proposal, it would deploy an international stabilization force and work to develop pathways toward a sovereign Palestinian state.
With no end to this violence in sight, thousands of those who call Gaza home have to grapple with a loss of hope, healing and humanity. The work that remains ahead is plainer than ever as we continue to watch the brutal humanitarian catastrophe unfold and take root in this region.