A Hopeless Trap – Gazans Confined By Israeli Bombings
Date: October 12, 2023
Location: Gaza
THE SOIL – Most of the 2.3 million people who live in the Gaza Strip lack access to clean water and electricity. Add to that the constant assault of Israeli airstrikes on their occupied land, and there is nowhere for them to go.
Over 1,000 people have unfortunately died as a result of the ongoing bombardment of the Palestinian territory, which is located in one of the most populated areas of the globe, according to Gaza’s hospital officials. This ceaseless bombardment is in retaliation for a serious attack on Israel that Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, is said to have carried out. Over 1,200 Israeli soldiers have been reported dead as a result of this offensive.
Due to a fuel shortage, Gaza’s only power plant, which has been working intermittently for many days, closed on Wednesday. Pumping water into homes is impossible when there is no electricity. The area is nearly completely dark at night, with sporadic flames and the tiny, glimmering lights from cell phones that are used as impromptu flashlights to brighten the scene.
Civilians Voicing Their Fears About Feeling Isolated
There was a queue of relatives and friends outside a medical centre in Khan Younis, which is in Gaza’s southern sector. They were standing next to an overloaded mortuary, where remains were spread out on the floor because refrigeration units were either fully loaded or without electricity.
The grieving families were anxious to bury their loved ones as soon as possible, worrying that the sudden warmth might accelerate the process of deterioration. They whispered to each other close to the corpses, making quiet prayers for their deceased loved ones, and then carefully moved them to the nearby cemeteries. They carried them carefully and used stretchers where they were available.
Because the only border that separates them from Egypt is now essentially closed off by Egyptian authorities, the people living there voiced fears about feeling isolated. They were fearful of what lay ahead, including a possible ground invasion as Israel seeks revenge for the bloodiest attack by Palestinian militants in the country’s seventy-five-year history.
Corpses Lying About All Over a Kibbutz Village
Hamas fighters broke out of Gaza on Saturday in an unannounced attack that claimed several lives. In the wake, corpses were lying about all over a kibbutz village and a music festival. Many Israelis and other people were captured and taken to Gaza, where some of them were paraded in public through the streets.
The attack launched by Hamas drew harsh criticism from the United States and other Western countries. The violent group was founded in 1988 on the basis of a charter that called for the abolition of Israel. Israel, the US, the EU, Canada, Egypt, and Japan all consider it to be a terrorist organisation.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Wednesday that Israel is dedicated to totally eliminating Hamas and promised to intensify military operations in Gaza.
Israeli counterattacks had severe early effects on Beit Hanoun, which is near the Israeli border. Thousands were displaced as a result of the substantial damage that several roads and buildings received, according to reports from Hamas and the local population.
Some of the people positioned outside the hospital had come with blankets or cardboard to lie on, while some had just lain out on the clean ground. Long lineups had developed as patients waited their turn to use the hospital’s meagre bathroom facilities.
About 175,000 Gaza People Forced to Flee Their Homes
According to UN reports, about 175,000 Gaza people have been forced to flee their homes during the last few days. Some aid agencies in Gaza have stated that the situation there is the worst they can remember, even though there have been wars and an Israeli blockade for 16 years now since Hamas took power in 2007 following a brief civil war with the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Speaking on behalf of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, Hisham Muhanna stated that this time around, the number of civilian victims is unprecedented.
Water Supplies Afftcted By Lack Of Electricity
Water supplies for a large section of the enclave have been affected by the lack of electricity. Males, young and old, huddled around one of the few water sources on the outskirts of Khan Younis. They were lifting heavy crates onto tricycles, pushing them around on carts by hand, and even utilising a little horse-drawn waggon to move the crates.
Health authorities in Gaza have released a worrisome alert, stating that hospitals and other healthcare institutions that depend on generators for backup power are about to run out of energy in the coming days. The health ministry, noting the imminent danger of sewage treatment plants coming to a complete stop, has voiced serious concerns about the possible outcomes. This could therefore result in a notable rise in the accumulation of garbage and the potential for a regional health epidemic.