Palestinians described life in the northern Gaza Strip as like a “real horror movie” as Israeli bombing continued on various areas of the besieged Strip on Thursday, the day after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect.
Umm Ahmed Labad (52 years old) from Beit Lahia said by phone to Agence France-Presse, “We are living a real horror movie. The situation is indescribable. The Israeli bombing does not stop from the air or on the ground.”
She continued, “We are afraid to leave the house. We will leave when the (Israeli) army asks us to do so, as it did in the neighboring neighborhoods, but we do not know exactly where we will go.”
In turn, Abu Muhammad al-Madhoun (55 years old) said, “The situation is catastrophic and gets worse every day. The weather is cold and the food is expensive. A kilo of tomatoes costs 200 shekels (about 60 dollars). Who has the money to buy that?”
Humanitarian organizations have warned of the difficult conditions in northern Gaza, including the World Health Organization, which said on Thursday that the entire Strip, especially its northern part, suffers from an acute shortage of medicines, food, fuel, and shelter.
Doctor Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, confirmed that the bombing “did not stop” in its vicinity, adding that “shrapnel was scattered all over the hospital.”
Abu Safiya called for “providing protection for workers, as 21 of our crews were injured during the past days,” stressing that “the situation in the northern Gaza Strip is tragic and very difficult, as the occupation does not allow anything to enter the area.”
Only two hospitals operate partially in the northern Gaza Strip: Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda.
The Israeli army said in a statement Thursday that 34 patients from the two hospitals were transferred to “safe hospitals” in Gaza.
The majority of hospitals in the Gaza Strip suffered extensive damage during the war, and Israel accuses Hamas of using medical facilities for military purposes, which the movement and health workers deny.
“Conditions for survival” are diminishing
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced in a statement on the X platform that “the ongoing military operation in northern Gaza has displaced 130,000 people.”
UNRWA said in a statement that “survival conditions are diminishing for (between) 65-75 thousand people estimated to remain there” in northern Gaza.
The Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip since October 7 has resulted in 44,330 martyrs and 104,933 injured, in addition to the repeated displacement of most of the Gaza Strip’s residents, an outbreak of diseases, and a shortage of food and medical supplies.
