Inside the siege of northern Gaza, where ‘death waits around every corner’
Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahia via Salah al-Din Street to Gaza City, 22 October 2024
Mohammed R. Mhawish, Ola Al Asi and Ibrahim Mohammad report in +972 on 23 October 2024:
For over two weeks, the Israeli military has been waging one of the most brutal and destructive campaigns of the war in northern Gaza. Residents of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun are living through an unrelenting siege that has stripped them of food, water, and any illusion of safety. Survivors describe a nightmare beyond comprehension: airstrikes and shelling so incessant that their bodies haven’t stopped trembling.
The Israeli military operation, which began during the early hours of Oct. 6, has so far killed at least 640 Palestinians. Many in the besieged areas have described apocalyptic scenes of dead bodies strewn across the streets, with medical teams unable to retrieve them amid the constant bombardment.
In recent days, the Israeli army has released videos that show soldiers rounding up Palestinians who were sheltering in displacement camps, and forcing them southward toward Gaza City. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) estimated that 20,000 people were forcibly displaced from Jabalia on Oct. 18 alone. Images posted to social media by Israeli soldiers also suggest that the army set shelters on fire to prevent Palestinians from returning.
Today, videos emerged showing dozens of Palestinian men in Jabalia being marched by the Israeli army at gunpoint while blindfolded and handcuffed; they have likely since been taken away to detention centers inside Israel where former detainees and whistleblowers have reported rampant abuse and torture.
The assault on northern Gaza has severely limited the functioning of hospitals in the besieged areas. Dr. Mohammed Salha, director of Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, told +972 Magazine that the situation at the facility is “catastrophic.” Around 180 people — medical staff, patients, and displaced families — are trapped inside the hospital, with the Israeli army bombarding the surrounding area. “We are just waiting for death to come,” he said. “Or a miracle.”
“We have nothing left to treat the wounded and patients,” Salha said. “Even basic necessities like water and medicine are scarce, and the hospital generator is running on its last drops of fuel. If the generator stops, so will the lives of those depending on ventilators.”