When Mohammed al-Lahham and his family returned to Khan Younis, their hometown in Gaza, last week, they returned to a city and home devastated by Israeli bombing. They hope they won’t be forced to flee again.
“The situation in my city is unbearable, but at least it is better than living in a tent,” said Mr. al-Lahham, a 41-year-old plumber and father of five. . “I finally returned to Khan Younis, my hometown, where I know its people, places and streets.”
Those streets, many of which have been flattened, are now surrounded by the rubble of entire buildings after a ground invasion by Israeli forces left the city virtually untouched. unrecognizable. The force withdrew from Khan Younis last month.
Much of Mr. al-Lahham’s house in the city center was destroyed, but the family is trying to rebuild life in one room that remains mostly intact.
“I live in a room with blown-out walls,” he said. “I spread some blankets from the United Nations as curtains to protect us inside.”
More than 630,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes and shelters in and around the southern city of Rafah since Israel began its military offensive on May 6, said UNRWA, the main United Nations agency. for Palestinians said on Friday. Before May 6, Rafah, on the border with Egypt, had become home to more than a million Palestinians who had left their homes elsewhere in Gaza in search of some safety, even if The Israeli military continued to carry out air strikes on the city. This is one of the last places not invaded by Israeli soldiers.
Now, many Palestinians are seeking shelter in places like the central city of Deir al Balah and Al-Mawasi, the western coastal region of Khan Younis. Both are overcrowded and face harsh conditions, the United Nations and aid groups say.
Israel continues to describe its offensive in and around Rafah as a “limited operation” against Hamas, the armed group that led the attack on Israel on October 7. The seizure of the Gaza side of the gate Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt, increased air and artillery strikes, as well as an expanding ground invasion into areas of Rafah have forced about half of the Palestinians to live and seek shelter there. must flee.
Satellite images suggested that a significant attack had been launched.
On Thursday, Israel said it would send more forces to Rafah, signaling that it intended to strike deeper into Rafah despite international concerns about the threat to civilians from an invasion. comprehensive into the city.
In the north, Israeli attacks and new military evacuation orders have displaced more than 160,000 people from several areas around Gaza City, according to UNRWA.
“Forced displacement continues to take place #Gaza,” UNRWA posted on social media this week, adding that “about 20% of #Gaza’s population has been displaced again in the past week. Families continued to flee wherever they could – including rubble and sand dunes – in search of safety. But in Gaza there is no such thing.”
In addition to the displacement, the Israeli offensive and fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas have prevented nearly all aid from entering Gaza through two main border crossings, and hindered the distribution of small amounts of aid. to Gaza, according to the United Nations and other aid. groups.
That has forced families like the al-Lahham family to fend for themselves almost entirely.
On Thursday, Mr. al-Lahham stood in line with his two sons to fill cans with water from a large tank brought by a charity.
Although Mr. al-Lahham said he was shot in the right shoulder by an Israeli armed drone, the wound had not yet healed because the bullet was still inside, but he knew he needed to get drinking water for his family.
“Sometimes I try to carry heavy objects with my left hand, like liters of water,” he said. “You can see it hurts when I move it and this will affect my job as a plumber.”
While water on Thursday is free, nothing else is available in this devastated city.
Even charging his mobile phone at a street vendor costs him a few shekels. And with almost no aid and limited commercial goods entering Gaza, prices in the market have risen higher.
Mr. al-Lahham and his family fear they may have to flee again if the Israeli Army re-invades their city. If so, they planned to go to al-Mawasi. I just don’t know how they’ll get there.
He had to borrow nearly 100 USD to pay for a truck to transport his family from Rafah to Khan Younis.
“I don’t know where I’ll get the money to take us and our belongings if something bad happens,” he said. “Why does all this suffering continue?”
