Israel-Gaza war: Palestinians devastated and fearful after Israel resumes strikes

After 50 days of ceasefire, life in the Gaza Strip was gradually returning to calm, with people preparing to enjoy their pre-dawn meals during Ramadan. However, the tranquility was shattered by sudden gunfire and explosions, followed by screams, heralding the outbreak of a new round of conflict.

Essam Abu Odeh and his family were awakened from their sleep by the roar of warplanes. He told the BBC Gaza broadcasting service: "At about 2 a.m., we were suddenly awakened by heavy shelling. My daughter woke me up, warning me about the bombs. We quickly took cover against the wall, fearing that falling rubble would hit us." Israeli warplanes roared in from the north, sweeping across the Gaza Strip, attacking targets in downtown Gaza City, as well as southern areas such as Rafah and Khan Younis.

According to the Hamas-run local health authorities, the attacks on Monday night killed more than 400 people, most of whom were women and children. They did not disclose the number of combatants killed, while Israel said its targets were Hamas commanders. More than 600 others were injured, and hospitals in the Gaza Strip are once again overcrowded, with doctors on the night shift struggling with the influx of wounded, many of whom are children.

A BBC reporter at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City met the family of Ahmed Moein Jumla, who was injured. He was at the Ahlar beach refugee camp when it was attacked. His sister said: "We were shocked that this area would be targeted." She also stated that they could not find him at first. "From night to morning, we couldn't determine if he was injured because the scene was so terrible that no one had any news—the entire building had collapsed on everyone." They rescued him from the rubble at 5 a.m. He was alive, but was rushed to the hospital with fractures and brain injuries.

Another Gaza resident, M, said: "The war suddenly resumed without any warning." He was preparing his pre-dawn meal when his street came under gunfire and shelling. "A sense of fear swept through the area," he said. "Everyone is filled with fear—uncertain of where to go, or whether we will be displaced again. Fear once again envelops people, especially during Ramadan."

Israel bombed Gaza throughout the morning, with the attacks subsiding as the sun rose. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he ordered the attacks after Hamas failed to release more hostages or accept a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire that had been in place since the end of January. With the first phase of the ceasefire having ended earlier this month, there had been concerns that fighting would resume—especially after negotiations stalled two days ago.

Hael, a resident of Jabalia Balad, told BBC Arabic: "I am shocked that the war has broken out again, but at the same time, this is what we expect from the Israelis." He said they were not surprised, and they expected the collapse of the ceasefire agreement to happen at any moment. "But the shock is enormous—200 martyrs were killed in an instant. As a citizen, I feel exhausted. We've had enough—a year and a half! Enough."

Umm Muhammad Abu Aisha, who lives in Deir al-Balah in the east, survived that time with her mother. But her mother died early Tuesday morning. Her last memory was of her mother walking into the kitchen and saying she wanted to make her breakfast. She told Reuters: "My mother woke up as usual to prepare her breakfast, to prepare to fast, but was not ready for the fighting." The attack hit their neighbor's house, destroying the surrounding area. She questioned the so-called state of peace. "Life is getting harder, there is no truce or ceasefire." "Every day there are snipers stationed in front of the citizens, constant attacks. Nothing is going as agreed (in the ceasefire agreement)."

In southeastern Gaza City, 25-year-old Ramez Al-Amarin described the scene of sending children to the hospital. He told AFP: "They have unleashed hellfire on Gaza again," adding, "Bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the injured cannot find any doctors to treat them." Hospital authorities in Gaza told the BBC that many of the patients being brought in suffered from severe head injuries and bleeding, burns, and fractures. Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, said: "The attacks came so suddenly that the number of medical staff is insufficient to cope with such a large-scale attack." He pointed out that after 15 months of war, only seven hospitals in the entire area are currently able to operate. Despite the ceasefire agreement, very few medical supplies have been allowed into Gaza.

Another doctor described the situation as catastrophic. There is a severe shortage of medical and surgical equipment, intensive care beds, and medicines. "Even the medical staff are completely exhausted after more than a year and a half of emergency work," said Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya. "We see many injured people losing their lives right in front of us, simply because there are no medical supplies or any possible way to provide them with care." He called Israel's dawn operation a "massacre of sleeping civilians in the Gaza Strip."

So far, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south has received the most patients. People are carrying the wounded into the hospital on stretchers. Corpses covered in white sheets are also being taken to the hospital morgue. Families gathered in the streets for funerals. Essam, the father who was awakened by his young daughter this morning, pleaded with the mediating countries to end their suffering. He told the BBC: "We don't want the war to start again. We seek peace so that we can live and sleep without fear."