Shruti Suman
In the densely populated Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, civilians have been living in fear ever since Israel initiated airstrikes in retaliation to a rocket barrage by Hamas, five days ago. According to health officials in Gaza, more than 1,000 Palestinians have lost their lives as of Thursday morning. Unfortunately, they didn’t provide a breakdown of how many of them were civilians. A significant portion of the population is displaced but has no safe haven to escape to, as both Israel and Egypt have closed their borders.
Aisha Abu Daqqa, a Gaza Strip resident, describes the situation: “You’d hear the sound in the distance, and then you’d feel it shaking the house. For now, all we can do is wait and pray.”
Mazen Mohammad, a 38-year-old Gaza resident, shared his family’s terrifying experience as they huddled together during the night while explosions rocked the area. He said, “We felt like we were in a ghost town as if we were the only survivors.”
The humanitarian crisis in the long-blockaded Palestinian enclave is deteriorating rapidly, with Israel imposing a complete siege, severing access to water, food, and energy supplies.
The sole power plant in the enclave ceased operation due to fuel depletion, as reported by Gaza’s electricity provider. Social media videos depict residents resorting to car batteries to charge their phones.
Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza is overwhelmed with an influx of patients and is running critically low on medical supplies, including oxygen, according to the Ministry of Health.
Canned food is vanishing from store shelves as people rush to stock up on supplies, while the territory’s only slaughterhouse remains closed. Vegetables, which are grown near the border, are in short supply.
In 2007, during its campaign against Hamas, Israel imposed severe restrictions on the lives of Gaza residents, virtually closing off every avenue for escape. With the recent announcement of a complete siege on Gaza, cutting off essential services like electricity, food, and water, the situation for those trapped in this narrow strip caught in the crossfire of warring powers is dire.
