Displaced Palestinians recall their painful past

GAZA — Ferial Abdel Hadi, an 86-year-old woman in Gaza who survived decades of turmoil, once again found herself setting foot in a refugee camp, this time in the southern city of Khan Younis.

In a broken voice, she told of how her family had abandoned their home and fled to a safer place.

The widespread civilian suffering started to unfold before Hadi, who witnessed the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, after Israel embarked on the unabated bombardment of the Gaza Strip following Hamas' attacks on Israeli towns and military posts on Oct 7.

Israel imposed a siege on the Palestinian enclave, cutting off the supply of water, electricity and other essential goods, as it prepared for a ground assault.

"Israeli planes destroyed our house in Beit Lahia … our people have to flee and sleep in the open," Hadi said with tearful eyes. "We were forced to come here to avoid killings that could fall upon us," she said.

The situation made Hadi flash back to dreadful moments 75 years ago when she was forced to leave her hometown of Tal al-Tormos with her family.

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, seen by many Palestinians as a national catastrophe, or "Nakba", had resulted in the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians.

"Over and over again, Gaza endures tragic scenes like this, as all attempts were of little avail to end an Israeli war, or to find any real solution to the issue," she said.

"Israel has always forced us to live in the same dire conditions," said Hadi's son, Mohammed Abdul Hadi.

Mohammed said the latest conflict has not only stirred up painful memories among the survivors of Nakba but also left him worried over its likely consequences.

'Feeling alienated'

"People here feel hopeless and alienated under the continuous Israeli bombardment and the lack of bread, drinking water, and electricity," said Mohammed Al-Dahdouh, who took refuge at a shelter camp with his 12-member family after Israeli air raids forced them to flee their home.

He accused the US administration and its Western allies, who have offered material support to Israel for its war in Gaza, of leaving civilians to bear the brunt of the attacks.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and taking many people as hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched what seems the most intense military campaign on Gaza in years, with heavy bombardment, and prepared to carry out a massive ground assault to destroy Hamas and other armed factions in the Palestinian enclave.

A week ago, the Israeli army ordered over a million people, half of the enclave's population, to leave Gaza City and other northern regions within 24 hours. Since then, many civilians have fled southward and taken shelter in the UN-run camps.

About 1.6 million people, or more than 60 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip, have been displaced due to the Israeli attacks, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Xinhua