Residents of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip are experiencing a state of shock after hours of panic they experienced on Saturday during the Israeli massacre that led to the death of more than 270 Palestinian civilians.
During the operation, Israel was able to recover 4 of its prisoners, but killed 3 of them, one of whom held American citizenship.
Muhannad Thabet – a resident of the camp – says that the Israeli military operation was “consisting of smoke, burning fire, and thick dust that covered the place.”
Thabet explained, “I heard gunshots. I thought it was a normal thing, but suddenly, minutes later, I heard the sound of a warplane and bombing of homes in the camp and next to Al-Awda Hospital and the market.” He added, “People started running, not knowing where to go.”
Regarding the extent of the destruction, he said that homes with their owners and displaced persons were destroyed, and “shops, stalls, and vehicles were on fire as a result of the bombing that affected the roads, the market, the camp, and the vicinity of the hospital.”
The operation caused chaos, “and people started screaming, young and old, women and men. Everyone wanted to flee the place, but the bombing was violent and anyone who moved was at risk of being killed due to the intensity of the bombing and shooting.”
As for Muhammad Musa, he was on the roof of a house when the Israeli forces arrived at the camp. He asserts in amazement, “I don’t know how I’m alive now.”
Musa, 29 years old, was displaced several times between areas of the Gaza Strip, before arriving at the Nuseirat camp. He said, “Suddenly, rockets started falling on us heavily.”
He recounts that a tank advanced from the direction of Salah al-Din Street amidst artillery fire and another from aircraft, stressing that the bombing was “continuous and intense.”
Refrigerated truck and white car
As for Alaa Al-Khatib, who is displaced in the camp, she says, “I was passing through the street in the camp, heading to the market, and I saw a freezer truck and a small white car.”
She explained that people got out of the truck with a ladder, placed it on the wall of one of the houses and climbed onto it. “Moments later, I heard the sound of bullets and hitting on the houses, alleys, and streets in the camp.”
The 32-year-old displaced woman confirms, “I felt afraid and could not return home.” She says, “I learned that Israeli special forces infiltrated the camp with Palestinian vehicles for humanitarian aid.”
A number of eyewitnesses narrated the same details and touched on the issue of the refrigerator truck.
Regarding the Israeli forces that arrived at the camp, Mahmoud Al-Assar said, “The special forces were wearing clothes like Hamas and Jihad members, including masked members. They entered houses near Al-Awda Hospital and the market.” Al-Assar describes what happened on Saturday by saying, “It was like an earthquake.”
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the number of martyrs of the military operation in the crowded camp rose to 274 martyrs and 698 wounded, including critical cases.
Doctor Marwan Abu Nasser – the acting director of Al Awda Hospital – explains that the hospital was filled with “numbers of martyrs and wounded, and this large number cannot be accommodated in a few minutes.”
He added, “The hospital was under fire and no one could move during the Israeli military operation.” Residents of the camp confirmed that they saw bodies in the streets of the camp.