Empty streets and closed curtains: As Islamic Jihad and Israel clash, Gaza resembles a ghost town and residents of the war-torn Palestinian enclave feel as if they are reliving the same scenes over and over again.
Like every week, on Friday — weekly day of rest — the Gaza corniche, one of the few places where one can breathe a breath of fresh air in the overcrowded enclave, was packed with people.
Less than 24 hours later, this long avenue that runs along the Mediterranean coast is deserted. Cafes are closed and street vendors have stayed home.
Not a soul is seen in the city center either. The only residents who venture out of their homes do so to survey the shelling damage.
“We were living in peace and, suddenly, on Friday afternoon the bombardments started,” said Mohamed Hamami, 40, “surprised” by the Israeli “aggression” on Gaza, a territory of 2.3 million inhabitants subjected to to a strict Israeli blockade since 2007.
The Israeli army says it is carrying out a “preemptive” operation in Gaza. He points out that his target is the Islamic Jihad, the second largest armed group in the territory, after the ruling Hamas.
Fifteen fighters were killed, according to Israel. According to local authorities, 12 people were killed and more than 80 were injured.
Among the victims is Alaa Kaddoum, a 5-year-old girl, who was killed in a shelling of the residential neighborhood where she lived in Gaza with her family.
– “Alone” –
“Enough is enough!” Hamami demands. “We live in fear of (Israeli) occupation. Every month or every year there is a war,” he sighs. Israel and armed groups in Gaza have fought four wars since 2007.
The last one, in May 2021, left 260 dead on the Palestinian side in eleven days, including combatants, and 14 dead in Israel, including a soldier, according to local authorities.
“This latest climb reminds us of episodes of fear, anguish, the feeling that we are alone,” explains Dounia Alamal Ismail, who lives in the center and did not sleep because of the incessant noise of the explosions.
“I hope that this escalation does not turn into a major confrontation and that Egyptian mediation will restore calm,” he adds.
Egypt, a historic mediator between Israel and armed groups in Gaza, seeks to intervene in the conflict, Egyptian officials told AFP.
But on the ground, the inhabitants are still afraid. In Jabalia, in northern Gaza, Fouad Farajallah examines his house. His living room is full of rubble.
“I was sitting on the sofa with my wife and children when suddenly everything fell apart,” he told AFP. “My wife broke her hand and my son was hit by shrapnel.”
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