When Mohammed al-Raham and his family returned to their hometown of Khan Yunis in Gaza last week, they returned to a city and home scarred by Israeli shelling. They hoped they would not be forced to flee again.
“The situation in my city is unbearable, but at least it's better than living in a tent,” said Al Raham, 41, a plumber and father of five. “I have finally returned to my hometown, Khan Yunis, where I know the people, places and streets very well.”
After a ground invasion by Israeli forces left the city almost unrecognizable, many of those streets were bulldozed and are now bordered by the rubble of entire buildings. The army withdrew from Khan Yunis last month.
Much of Al Raham's home in the city center was destroyed, but his family is trying to rebuild their lives in the one room that remains largely intact.
“I live in a room where the walls were blown out,” he said. “We are using blankets received from the United Nations as curtains to protect the interior.”
More than 630,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes and shelters in and around the southern city of Rafah since Israel launched its military offensive on May 6, according to UNRWA, the UN's main agency. It is being Palestinians said on Friday. Before May 6, Rafah, on the border with Egypt, had over 1 million people fleeing to other parts of the Gaza Strip in search of a modicum of safety, even as Israeli forces continued airstrikes on the city. There were more Palestinians living there. It was one of the last places not invaded by Israeli soldiers.
Many Palestinians are currently seeking refuge in areas such as the central city of Deir al-Balah and the coastal area west of Khan Younis, al-Mawashi. Both are overcrowded and face dire conditions, according to the United Nations and aid groups.
Israel continues to characterize the attack in and around Rafah as a “limited operation” against Hamas, the militant group that led the October 7 attack on Israel. The capture of the Gaza side of Rafah, which crosses the border with Egypt, the intensification of airstrikes and shelling, and the expansion of ground invasions into parts of Rafah have forced the evacuation of approximately half of the Palestinians living there and seeking shelter. ing.
Satellite images suggested that a major invasion was already underway.
Israel on Thursday announced it would send more troops to Rafah, indicating it intended to strike deep into Rafah, despite international concerns about the threat to civilians from a full-scale invasion. .
In the north, Israeli attacks and new military evacuation orders have displaced more than 160,000 people from several areas around Gaza City, UNRWA said.
“Forced migration continues today.” #GazaStripUNRWA Posted On social media this week, he added: “Nearly 20% of Gaza's population was once again forced to evacuate last week. Families continue to flee to the rubble, dunes and wherever they can in search of safety.” But there is nothing like that in Gaza. ”
Beyond displacement, Israeli attacks and fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas have prevented nearly all aid supplies from entering Gaza through the two main border crossings, according to the United Nations and other aid. The distribution of the small amount of aid that has arrived in Gaza is reportedly being blocked. group.
As a result, families like the al-Rahams are forced to fend for themselves almost entirely.
On Thursday, Al-Raham stood in line with his two sons to fill cans with water from large tanks brought in by the charity.
Al-Raham, who was shot in the right shoulder by an Israeli armed drone, said the wound was still healing because the bullet was still lodged in his body, but he knew he needed to find drinking water for his family. was.
“Sometimes I try to lift heavy things with my left arm, like gallons of water,” he says. “You can see how I run it. This affects my work as a plumber.”
Water was free on Thursday, but there was nothing else in the devastated city.
It cost a few shekels just to charge my phone at a street vendor. And with little aid and limited goods coming into Gaza, market prices are rising even more.
Al-Raham and his family fear they will be forced to flee again if Israeli forces invade the city again. If that happens, they will go to Al Mawashi. He had no idea how they would get there.
He had to borrow nearly $100 for a van to take his family from Rafah to Khan Younis.
“If something bad happens, I don't know where we're going to get the money to transport us and our belongings,” he said. “Why does this kind of suffering continue?”
