As night falls, darkness engulfs Gaza, accompanied by the acute crisis of food and water. The fear of death looms large amidst the fires of bombs raining down from the sky, haunting the inhabitants at all times. The large buildings are ablaze from the bombs, and people of all ages, men and women, are losing their lives. In this apocalyptic moment, the lives of 2.2 million people in Palestine’s Gaza Strip are hanging by a thread. There is no path for them to seek refuge. There are no opportunities for medical treatment, and even finding a place to bury their deceased loved ones has become a challenge.
In the past six days, the Israeli Air Force has dropped bombs, weighing four thousand tons in total, on the 363 square kilometers of Gaza. Many residential areas in Gaza have been reduced to ruins due to the impact of these powerful bombs. The incidents of casualties among the population are increasing rapidly. The death toll has surpassed 1,400, with over 6,000 people injured. Among the deceased, there are 447 children and 248 women.
In Gaza, a United Nations-managed school provides shelter for thousands of Gazans. October 12: Reuters
The number of deceased is rising so fast that there is no longer space in the cemeteries to bury them. A notice in a cemetery in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Thursday read, ‘Burials are not allowed here’. As a result, finding a place for new burials has become nearly impossible. Most cemeteries in Gaza face a similar situation. Not only is there a shortage of burial space, but the attacks have made it nearly impossible to reach these sites.
In Al-Shifa Hospital of Gaza City, a man arrives in a car, carrying the lifeless body of a small child in his arms. The white cloth covering the body is stained with blood, now turned a deep shade of red.
The hospital corridors, like the cemeteries, also bear witness to the space crisis. Rows of bodies are being brought in from the devastation of bomb attacks. On Thursday in Khan Yunis, a crowd of relatives of the deceased is seen in a hospital corridor. Known faces were there to claim the bodies of eight family members. The previous day, Israel launched an airstrike on their home. Under the ruins of their house, ten bodies still remain, they say.
