By Shaimaa Eid

The catastrophic reality in Gaza is no longer just a humanitarian crisis—it is a sustained crime against civilians, sparing no one in its path.

Amid Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the machinery of war continues to impose a harrowing reality on civilians. 

Palestinian families in northern Gaza are enduring what may be the darkest days since the beginning of the war, under constant shelling, famine, and the total absence of shelter. 

Between the rubble of homes, burning tents, and the terrified cries of children, displaced people roam the streets in search of safety that simply does not exist.

‘I Fled with My Children’

Asmaa Al-Sultan, a displaced woman from the Al-Slatin area in Beit Lahia, described the horrifying moment she fled her home:

“We were surrounded by Israeli tanks that began shelling. I carried my children and fled from what was left of our house, fearing for their lives,” she told the Palestine Chronicle.

“My husband wasn’t there to help me. He’s been in the hospital since he was injured by shrapnel in the head during a previous strike. Now, he has lost his memory and doesn’t recognize me or our children,” she continued.

With tears welling in her eyes, Asmaa added: “Drones dropped leaflets ordering us to evacuate. We refused at first—there is no safe place in Gaza. But hours later, the tanks advanced and started shooting. We barely escaped with our lives”.

Asmaa fled with her three children toward the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northwest Gaza City. Just two days after their escape, tragedy struck again.

“I received the news that shattered my heart—my older brother Rami and all of his children were killed. I hadn’t even begun to process my husband’s injury when I was told that my brother and his entire family were also killed. Life has lost all meaning. We have nothing left. I demand that Israel be held accountable. Nothing can put out the fire in my heart except seeing Netanyahu brought to justice”.

‘My Home was a Sacrifice for Palestine’

From the Jabaliya refugee camp, Ahmad Abed recounted his forced displacement after losing his home at the start of the war.

“I told myself then, this is a sacrifice for Palestine, and I endured it. After a ceasefire was declared, I returned and pitched a tent over the ruins of my house, trying to adapt to the harsh conditions”.

But Ahmad’s fragile sense of stability was short-lived.

“Suddenly, the occupation forces ordered us to evacuate the area. We fled under a hail of bullets and shelling. I carried my elderly mother and my children, and we ran for miles until we reached Al-Jalaa Street in western Gaza”.

Ahmad described the journey as “double the suffering.”

“I had no money for a car, so we were forced to use a horse-drawn cart as a primitive means of transportation,” he said. 

“When we arrived, we were completely exhausted. My children collapsed from hunger and fell asleep. I couldn’t even find a single bite of food for them. We left with only the clothes on our backs—no food, no water”.

Ahmad ended with a heartbreaking plea:

“I just wish the ceasefire would return, that we could have one full meal. Hunger has crushed us. I say to the world: Save Gaza. We are dying here—of hunger, fear, and sorrow. We are not numbers in news bulletins. We are human beings who simply want to live”.

Israel’s Campaign of Death

Alongside these testimonies, the Israeli army has announced the launch of a large-scale ground operation in the north and south of Gaza, dubbed Gideon’s Chariots. 

The campaign includes both regular and reserve units and targets densely populated civilian areas. Accompanying the offensive were air-dropped leaflets threatening residents and ordering evacuations, prompting a massive, disastrous wave of displacement.

According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, more than 300,000 citizens have been forcibly displaced to Gaza City, a devastated area lacking the infrastructure to accommodate such an influx.

In a statement, the media office said:

“Gaza City is suffering from an almost total absence of shelters and tents, forcing thousands of families to sleep in the streets—particularly in Al-Jalaa Street and Al-Saftawi area—amid the lack of food, water, and medicine, and the continued siege and bombardment”.

The statement also confirmed that the Israeli army has deliberately targeted civilians, vehicles, and rescue teams in the northern part of the Strip, turning the area into “an open killing field”.

It further noted that Israeli drones have set fire to hundreds of tents sheltering displaced people in Tel Al-Zaatar in Jabaliya, Beit Lahia, and other areas.

According to the statement, the situation on the ground reflects a full-scale ethnic cleansing operation.

“What is happening is genocide, carried out in plain sight of the international community,” the statement said, warning of continued massacres amid “disgraceful international silence” and the complicity of some states that turn a blind eye to the atrocities.

Stories of displacement from northern Gaza are countless. Thousands of families are walking for tens of kilometers on foot, under gunfire and rubble, searching for non-existent shelter. 

Children are sleeping on sidewalks, gripped by hunger and fear, while mothers struggle to secure a crumb of bread.

The catastrophic reality in Gaza is no longer just a humanitarian crisis—it is a sustained crime against civilians, sparing no one in its path: not mothers, not children, not the sick, not the wounded.

(The Palestine Chronicle)