Dozens of bodies are still being recovered from the rubble of a destroyed and burnt al-Shifa Hospital, following a two-week Israeli raid and siege on the hospital.
Thousands of Palestinian worshippers have been denied access to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for Ramadan’s first Friday prayers, while Israeli forces have committed another massacre against Palestinian aid-seekers in Gaza City.
The “flour massacre” marked a new phase in Israel’s starving of northern Gaza when the army opened fire on crowds waiting for aid trucks. “Our lives must have become so cheap for so many people to die this way,” a witness told Mondoweiss.
“It is true that there are many people who prefer to flee and search for a safe place outside the Gaza Strip, but this is not the case for the majority of people…It is not easy to start life again away from a homeland that you love.”
Israel’s genocidal war of expulsion is nothing like the people of Gaza have ever seen — not this generation, not their parents’ generation, and not the generation that survived the Nakba.
Israeli forces took dozens of Palestinians captive inside Al-Shifa and bombed their way into floors and rooms. The Palestinian health minister warned of a massacre to be committed in the complex.
The Gaza Strip has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world – more than 50% – and an exceptionally young population. As more young people fall in love under the blockade, couples are turning to loan agencies to get married, and falling into crippling debt in the process.
Over 16,000 housing units were damaged during the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, and 1,800 units were completely destroyed. While that destruction is immense, what those numbers don’t capture is what else was lost in those places — the irreplaceable photos, keepsakes, and possessions and that made each a home.
At least 38,000 Palestinians have fled their homes and sought shelter in schools run by the United Nations as hundreds of houses were completely destroyed in airstrikes since last Monday. Tareq Hajjaj reports from Gaza where Palestinians describe a night of fear, running from their homes barefoot and gripping children in the midst of Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire.
A formerly bustling stretch of street in Gaza City once was a thriving gold market with up to 100 kiosk-sized shops selling over 250 grams a day. Today, the road is quiet. Sales are down with more customers looking to pawn jewelry instead of purchase.