Mohammad, 40, said he has lost count of the times he had to take his wife and three daughters and leave their home in Gaza City. “No place is safe,” he said. “If they start the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Many families in Gaza are too afraid or too poor to leave. Aya, 31, said, “We are not leaving. Let them bomb us at home.” She lives with seven family members and cannot afford tents or transportation. “We are hungry, scared, and have no money,” she added.
Recently, four people were killed when troops opened fire on a crowd heading to a humanitarian site run by the American contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the Netzarim corridor. The shooting happened hundreds of meters away from the site. Mohamed Abed, a father of two from Bureij refugee camp, called it “indiscriminate gunfire.” GHF said the incident did not happen near their site.
More than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 13,500 wounded while seeking aid at distribution points or along UN convoy routes, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Overnight, explosions were heard in Zeitoun and Shejaia. Tanks shelled houses in Sabra, and buildings were destroyed in Jabalia. Israel’s military said it returned to fight in Jabalia to control the area and destroy militant tunnels. Israel has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, but the full offensive may not start for weeks.
Meanwhile, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are trying to restart ceasefire talks. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas releases hostages and ends attacks on Israel.
Starvation is increasing in Gaza. Eight more people died from malnutrition recently, bringing the total to 281, including 114 children. About half of Gaza’s two million residents live in Gaza City, where famine is spreading. Israel says aid has been increased since late July.
The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages.
-Peace News Desk