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This week in the streets of Gaza City, there are two sounds that never stop, day or night never stops. In the West, Mediterranean crusher crashes on the trash strrewn coastline. In the east, shells, missiles and rockets exploded, emitting dull roars and occasional cracks in the earplugs.
At least 100,000 people have arrived in Gaza City, once a bustling commercial and cultural center in the Palestinian territory. All fled the new offensive – known as Gideon's chariot – recently launched by Israel to towns and communities in northern Northern Gaza.
The explosions that newly displaced people can hear, when they squeeze into temporary shelters and rush to build camps, or simply set up tents or tarpaulins on the sidewalk of the Pock (Pock) umbrella, sometimes in direct conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas, although the warlike Islamic groups remain elusive.
According to medical officials there, it was the sound of air strikes and shell bombings, which caused about 750 people throughout Gaza last week, and most of the women and children were injured.
Mohammed Abu Nadi moved his family from Jabaliya, east of Gaza city to Jabaliya, a community that was reduced to ruins amid a variety of Israeli crimes and raids.
“What happened this week was another escalation…a ruthless bombing everywhere,” the 33-year-old said. “My friend was moving to Gaza City on the way, but when he returned, he found his house was reduced to rubble. His wife and children were killed.
“They are just young children and innocent civilians have no involvement.
Abu Adam Abdul Rabbo, 55, said more than 80 members of his extended family died in a 19-month clash, triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel, where militants killed 1,200 militants, most of them civilians and kidnapped 251, of whom 57 remained in Gaza. The subsequent Israeli attack killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and reduced most of their territory to rubble. Crush roads, sanitation facilities, schools, religious places, sanitation systems, etc. Israeli officials said they attacked only military targets and accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, which is a negligent.
A week ago, Rab said that the huge explosion of his brother's house was awakened and five people were killed.
“When we tried to transfer their bodies to the hospital, the quadrilateral drone fired bullets everywhere. We managed to bury them in the cemetery of Jabaliya town. Afterwards, we decided to leave, worried about the lives of the remaining children.
“We can only carry some basic items – some clothes and food. My wife cried in pain and asked, 'How will we survive? What can we carry with us? How long will we stay?'” Rabbo said.
This month, UN-backed food security experts said the territory was at risk of famine and the number of malnutrition increased rapidly.
The UN warehouses on the territory are empty, and many rely on most free bakeries for daily bread closed a few weeks ago – although aid agencies have been able to keep some community kitchens producing about 300,000 meals a day. The food available is too expensive for almost everyone, with a kilogram of tomatoes or onions equivalent to $13.
“Every corner of every street is full of people,” said Amjad Shawa, director of the Gaza NGO network of Gaza based in Gaza. “They live in garbage dumps, sewage bags. There are flies, mosquitoes. We have no water, no food, no tents, blankets or tarps, nothing.
UN officials said Friday that their clinics and pharmacies are no longer able to provide the World Health Organization's critical 40% treatment. Healthcare workers interviewed last week reported that in addition to the many injuries suffered by air stabbing injuries, many patients were seen in the patients with abscesses and skin diseases, as well as acute diarrhea and respiratory diseases.
“We see some malnourished kids, but everyone complains about being hungry,” said Dr. Iain Lennon, a British emergency medicine consultant in Mavasi, southern Gaza. “We often see patients who are tired or dizzy because they are not eating enough.”
In recent days, Israel imposed a severe lockdown in Gaza in early March, when the first phase of a fragile ceasefire expired. On Friday, 100 trucks entered the area, but little assistance was distributed.
Humanitarian officials say the key issue is safety. From mid-January to March, when Hamas-operated policemen were on the streets, law and order improved on the territory during the ceasefire, but have since collapsed. In a convoy of 20 tons of wheat flour, only 3 tons of wheat flour are provided for the World Food Program, reaching its destination after two fell on Thursday night, 15 were hijacked and driven away by robbers.
“You can't see the lines of ribs and prickly children like Africa, but you don't have roads and populations scattered in areas of Europe's size. Here, there are only 130,000 tons of aid, only 130,000 tons of aid, only the other side of the entrance point to Gaza, a few kilometers, a few kilometers.”
Few believe that the U.S.-backed Israeli plan could begin aid next week will improve the situation. The plan involves a few distribution hubs in southern Gaza operated by private contractors and protected by Israeli forces that will be subject to the recipient. The UN aid workers describe the program as dangerous, impractical and potentially illegal.
To obtain assistance, Palestinians will have to cross 25 miles (40 km) of gravel forest roads during the on-site conflict to retrieve 20 kilograms of food packages per month, despite almost a total lack of available transport.
“It will be very difficult to get there and there is no guarantee that you will be back,” Shawa said. “It is an engineering strategy that aims to get people to replace and start cleaning up northern Gaza.”
Israel said the plan was a necessary condition to prevent Hamas from seizing and selling aid to fund its business. Aid officials in Gaza said Friday there was no evidence that any aid was diverted extensively at any stage of the conflict.
At the same time, the vulnerable suffer the greatest pain. Six weeks ago, the eldest son of Ihab al-Attar of Beit Lahia tried to return to his family home to retrieve food and clothes, but his target was a missile and was seriously injured. Attar, 41, said there was no warning and no evacuation order.
A series of surgeries saved the life of 21-year-old Mahmoud, but did not have most of the intestines and infected wounds. Ten days ago, when the new Israeli offensive began, the family was forced to arrive at a tent on a street in Gaza City from its abused but habitable home. With almost all hospitals in northern Gaza no longer operating, few remaining hospitals were overwhelmed, and the family tried to take care of Mahmoud himself.
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“Now, Mahmoud's situation is getting worse every day,” Atal said. “The most difficult part is watching my son dying in front of my eyes and unable to do anything for him. I'm worried that I'll lose my son.”
Nadi's eight-year-old four-brain son Yazan, also in great danger, his father said he needed special diet and care.
“He got very thin and suffered from severe malnutrition. I took him to the hospital a few times, but the doctor told me they couldn't do anything for him.”
Few people have great hope for any relief. Negotiations for the new ceasefire have stalled, and if any, aid could take days or even weeks to reach northern Gaza.
Umm Ammar Jundiyea, 65, described a “dismal” future in Gaza after fleeing near Shujaiya's eastern part.
“Even if all of us die, the world doesn't care about what's going on in Gaza,” the eight-year-old mother said. “The world is deceptive and hypocritical. It claims to be civilized and humane, but it sees only one eye.”
