Gaza’s Enduring Wounds: A Year of Unrelenting Destruction Leaves Lasting Scars

Illustration. (Al Jazeera)

THOUSANDS of civilians, including children, women, the elderly and people with disabilities who were forced to flee to the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, are trapped on roads that Israel calls security corridors. These roads, which Israel promoted as humanitarian corridors, turned into death corridors for Gazans.

The safe corridors that Israel opened, while dropping bombs on civilians fleeing from north to south, are now filled with lifeless bodies and rotting body parts. Nearly all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million Palestinian residents have been repeatedly driven from their homes during nearly a year of war.

According to local health authorities, nearly 41,780 people died. Most of them are women and children. Nearly 96,800 others were injured. This is a result of Israel’s continued attacks on the Gaza Strip after the attack by the Hamas group on October 7.

Also read: Four Massacres of Palestinian People by Israel with US Weapons

In its second article about One Year of Israeli Genocide in Gaza, Anadolu collects information about the massacres carried out by Israel since October 7 in the so-called safe zone in the Gaza Strip. Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has used forced evictions as a weapon against Palestinians through evacuation orders.

Israel has repeatedly asked Gazans to leave their homes by distributing new maps and dropping leaflets from the air. After the evacuation order from the Israeli authorities, refugee trips began in various parts of Gaza from north to south.

Hospitals, schools and camps, which serve as shelter for displaced families, are constantly targeted by Israeli bombings, artillery attacks and direct fire from the army, even though they are in areas declared safe.

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According to UN data, nine out of every 10 people living in Gaza have been displaced by Israeli attacks since October 7. Based on the same data, the majority of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once every month.

Thus, Palestinians experienced a second Nakba. Palestinians use the word Nakba to refer to the events of 1948, when armed Zionist militias forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes and villages under pressure from bombings and mass massacres on historic Palestinian land. This pushed them further into the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and neighboring countries, as part of a massive ethnic cleansing before Israel’s declaration of independence.

Call to move

The Israeli army gave more than a million people in the north of the Gaza Strip a 24-hour deadline to leave their homes and move south of the Gaza Valley. Here Israel launched a full invasion on October 27, 2023.

Also read: Israel’s Expansion Through Genocide in Gaza and the West Bank

On the same date, Israeli authorities told Gaza City residents, “For the safety of you and your families, move south.” Thousands of Palestinians living in the north, who have been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and ground occupation, were forced to flee to Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah in southern and central Gaza in search of safety.

However, the Israeli army bombarded civilians who were forced to flee to so-called safe zones.

Occupation of Rafah and Khan Younis

Israeli soldiers, who were also at the gates of the southern city of Rafah, where refugees from northern Gaza were sheltering, dropped leaflets in the east of the city, asking residents to leave their homes and move west.

Also read: UN Special Rapporteur: Israel’s crimes are recorded, the regime must be punished

The Israeli army, which said it would carry out military operations in the city, occupied Rafah, previously declared a safe zone and a refuge for around 1.5 million Palestinians, on May 7.

The Israeli army targeted displaced Palestinians, dropping missiles and bombs on civilians in Rafah, and carrying out numerous massacres.

On May 26, the Israeli army bombarded refugee tents in Rafah. At least 45 Palestinians, including 23 women, children and the elderly were killed in the attack and the fire that broke out, while 249 others were injured.

Zone aman Al-Mawasi

Israel forced civilians who had taken refuge in Rafah after a ground offensive on May 6 to move to al-Mawasi west of Khan Younis. Thousands of Palestinian refugees who had taken refuge in Rafah moved their tents to Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

In July, the Israeli army launched an intensive offensive in the eastern region of Khan Younis, previously declared a safe zone.

The Gaza government reported on July 24 that 129 people were killed, 416 people were injured, and 44 people were missing in attacks east of Khan Younis for three consecutive days.

Israel continues to issue evacuation orders in several areas of al-Mawasi. Even though there is almost no room for tents anymore because of the continuing flow of refugees.

The attack on Deir al-Balah

Thousands of Palestinians living in various areas of the Gaza Strip moved to the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, following bombardments in their protected areas and evacuation warnings from the Israeli army.

In August, the Israeli army announced it would launch an offensive east of Deir al-Balah, previously declared a humanitarian zone, and asked Palestinians there to flee to the west. The Israeli army also launched several attacks in Deir al-Balah, killing many civilians in attacks targeting the market.

In July, 31 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured when Israel bombarded the makeshift hospital at Haditha School, where refugees were sheltering, which is also inside the safe zone.

UNRWA (UN Agency for Palestine Refugees) announced in August that there was no safe place for Palestinians to take refuge in the Gaza Strip. UNRWA also reported that even the humanitarian zones claimed by Israel to be safe only cover 11% of the total Gaza area. (Ant/Z-2)