A day after an Israeli airstrike devastated the Gaza Strip, Palestinians trying to reach their loved ones were confronted with silence. Calls went unanswered or were met with a recorded message explaining that communication with Gaza had been cut off due to ongoing aggression. This has only added to the suffering and uncertainty of those living in the already dire conditions in Gaza.
Yousef Hammash, an employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council who was born in the Jabaliya neighborhood that was targeted by the airstrike, said that the continuing communication outages were worsening the already unbearable situation. Sousan Hammad, a writer and teacher in Brooklyn, has been desperately trying to reach her family members in Jabaliya. She last messaged her cousin Ahmed, who was hosting many people in his apartment, but has not received a response. The devastation in the area has made it difficult to determine the number of casualties, and communications have also been severed, making it challenging to reach survivors or rescue crews.
The strike on Jabaliya has intensified international criticism of Israel’s three-week campaign of airstrikes on Gaza. Local officials in Gaza claim that more than 8,800 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, but these numbers have not been independently confirmed. Jabaliya, despite being a refugee camp, is a developed area that serves as a home for Palestinians who were displaced during the conflict that led to the creation of Israel. The Israeli military has held Hamas responsible for the civilian death toll, accusing them of using Gazans as human shields. However, residents and rights experts argue that civilians must be protected regardless of warnings to evacuate.
Jabaliya is not only a stronghold for militants but also the home of thousands of registered Palestinian refugees. These Palestinians, like millions of others, are classified as refugees by the United Nations due to decades of exile. The blockade of Gaza by Israel and the restrictions on movement in and out of the area have already created challenging living conditions even before the recent conflict.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with shortages of food, water, and fuel. The residents of Jabaliya can see their ancestral homes just beyond the fence that separates the strip from southern Israel, adding another layer of pain and longing to their already difficult lives.