Nearly a year after the truce between Israel and Hamas, which allowed a week-long ceasefire and the release of around a hundred Israeli hostages, conflict mediators are working on a new truce project . At least 43,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza since the start of this war, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas government in Gaza. Currently, the northern Gaza Strip is under fire from the Israeli army. Exceptional testimony from a resident of Jabaliya, who has just left his town to find refuge in the south of the enclave.
3 mins
Of Rami Al Meghari in the Gaza Strip, with our correspondent in Jerusalem, Sami Boukhelifa
“ We are the wretched of the earth. Bombed constantly. » This is how Youssef, a young father, introduces himself: “ We are the hungry, the thirsty, from Jabaliya. » His city, disfigured since the start of the war, is in the sights of the Israeli army. On October 6, a little over three weeks ago, a new offensive, air and land, began. “ Random bombings “, he says.
Incomprehension reigns: “ There is nothing to destroy here. Everything is already devastated. My house has been pulverized for a long time now. It was in December, I remember. My son was killed that day. » So Youssef, his wife and their three other children found refuge nearby, with relatives. They live, survive. Their only food for a year was canned goods.
“ At the beginning of October, Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, the north of the Gaza Strip was surrounded by Israeli troops. An intensification of bombings. People are being killed in the streets. No one to collect the bodies, devoured by stray dogs. In Jabaliya, it is a genocide, a war of extermination “, he says. Two of his neighbors died before his eyes in a drone strike.
Also readThe Middle East is experiencing its “most dangerous moment” in “decades”, according to the UN
So, with all the people in the neighborhood, they decide to leave towards the south of the enclave. A risky journey. You have to flee under fire. “ We prefer airstrikes. They kill you instantly. When the artillery bombs explode, there are shards everywhere that hurt you. It’s a slow death. You bleed out. In the north, there are no more emergency services, no more hospitals. We were a group of 600 people who left. »
On the road, you have to pass through Israeli army checkpoints. Soldiers terrorize people. Women on one side, men on the other. Full search. In boxers. “ Some of us were arrested. They put white overalls on them. Blindfolded. We no longer have any news from them. »
Also readIsrael’s ban on UNRWA: the agency fears “a risk of total collapse”