Israeli Forces Withdraw from Central Khan Yunis for the First Time Since the Beginning of the War in Gaza
(AWP) - A displaced Palestinian woman cries for help, pleading with the world to assist in finding her son who has been missing for over three months. Her daughter is suffering from hunger after the area they fled to at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis was mostly leveled to the ground by Israeli bombardment.
Umm Amir Abu Taybah spoke of her ordeal following the Israeli army’s withdrawal from central Khan Yunis for the first time since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out in October.
The army left behind an aftermath of widespread destruction, wiping out houses, stores, markets and hospitals, reducing most of Khan Yunis to rubble.
She said in a sorrowful voice, “We were waiting for the mercy of our Lord. My son did not appear. It has been three months since he disappeared. I do not know where he is. We appeal to the Red Cross, the Arab nation, the Islamic nation, and everyone who says there is no God but Allah to take pity on our condition and look at us.”
“My daughter is exhausted by hunger and keeps asking for food. I can’t provide her with anything. I start asking people, and out of every 50 people, I find one who helps us with some food. I found someone who gave me a can of chickpeas for my child.”
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces continued to storm dozens of buildings in the large residential complex of Hamad City, west of Khan Yunis.
According to Gaza’s government media, the army blew up scores of homes in the vicinity of Khan Yunis and the town of Bani Suheila, east of the city, arresting more than 100 Palestinians, including children.
Bassem al-Hindi, a resident of the destroyed al-Amal neighbourhood in Khan Yunis, described Gaza as a devastated land that has been deprived of life due to the Israeli war.
"We have reached a stage that lacks the necessities of life and livelihood. There is no sanitation or electricity. Life is non-existent,” he said.
He added, “We do not know what we should do after this war. There are no necessities for life. God suffices me, and He is the best disposer of affairs. There are no homes. Total destruction. Gaza is truly stricken. Martyrs are strewn in the streets, and now no one can reach them. God suffices me, and we seek His justice against everyone who brought us to this stage. God suffices us.”
His comments were echoed by Umm Obaida Abu Lahya, a sick and displaced Palestinian woman who was staying at the Nasser Medical Complex before it was hit by Israeli strikes.
“The situation is completely tragic. There is no water or electricity. We wash with salty water and drink salty water. There is no water at all,” she said.
She added, “They took us down from the first building (in the Nasser Medical Complex) and transferred us to the second building. After that, they searched us and then we stayed in this building for several days. Then they came and asked us to raise our hands and show our IDs. They arrested whoever they wanted and released those they did not want.”
Israeli artillery intensified its strikes on the village of al-Shouka, east of Rafah in southern Gaza, and the Taif neighbourhood in Khan Yunis, amid intense aerial presence over the northern and southern parts of the Strip.
In the centre and north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of raids targeting homes and facilities in Tal al-Hawa and al-Zaytoun in Gaza City.