Gaza Under Fire: A City Enduring Genocide

Under siege and relentless Israeli bombardment for 55 consecutive days since the resumption of aggression, Gaza stands today as a bleeding city gripped by death and destruction. Beneath the mountains of rubble, the horror of Zionist brutality is etched into every shattered wall and lifeless street.

Inside the corridors of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, a young boy named Ahmad al-Ghalban lies wounded. His sunken eyes tell a tale that time will not erase. In a savage Israeli airstrike targeting al-Shemaa neighborhood in Beit Lahia, Ahmad lost both his legs and his twin brother, Muhammad. While attempting to flee certain death, Ahmad was unaware of the pain consuming him until he awoke to the reality of irreversible wounds — and the devastating news that both his brother and uncle had perished. His story is but one echo among the cries of thousands of Palestinians enduring a similar harrowing fate.

A Widespread Humanitarian Catastrophe: The Stench of Death Choking Life

As both food and healthcare systems collapse under the crushing weight of the Zionist blockade, access to food, medicine, and even prosthetics has become a life-or-death struggle. Since March 18, the Zionist enemy has resumed its criminal assault with the clear intent to commit acts of genocide, systematically denying the entry of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine.

In the rising smoke of burning bread and the flickering flames beneath a small pot of lentils, a bleak image emerges of a life no longer livable. Meals in Gaza have become a daily battleground for survival. Um Fadi squats near a makeshift stove, desperately cooking what remains of their lentils—the last provision her family possesses. Rice, flour, and oil—staples of everyday life—are now mere memories. In Khan Younis, Abu Ammar divides a hardened piece of bread among his seven starving children, boiling water with onions to trick their empty stomachs into believing there’s food on the stove.

The United Nations has issued a desperate warning, describing Gaza as being on the brink of a “full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.” With the blockade still strangling the Strip, Gaza has become a massive prison—an isolated zone into which neither life-saving medicine nor flour for the starving may enter. The Zionist enemy has even targeted the few bakeries still barely functioning, rendering cooking itself a life-threatening risk. Still, amid the terror, cooking fires remain lit in a desperate attempt to preserve the warmth of life. Families gather around meager meals—not for nourishment, but to remind themselves they are still alive. Each bite is a silent testament of defiance, a refusal to be erased.

UNICEF has warned of the devastating psychological consequences this war has inflicted upon children. The physical injuries are only part of the tragedy; deeper still are the scars etched into their souls, isolating them in worlds of silence and fear. A UNICEF spokesperson stated with sorrow that Gaza is “the only place in modern history where every child is in need of psychological support,” with an entire generation facing lifelong mental trauma.

The horrific numbers released in human rights reports paint a chilling picture of the catastrophic scale of Gaza’s suffering. These figures are not just cold data—they are stifled screams, stories of unbearable pain and loss. Behind every martyr is a dream extinguished, a family torn apart, and a child robbed of their innocence. Behind every wounded soul is an uncertain future, a life permanently altered, now only a painful memory of what once was. These tragic realities impose a grave moral responsibility on all; those who remain silent may one day be consumed by the same fire, for the Israeli enemy is a danger to all humanity.

Generations Exterminated, Mass Graves, and Desecration of Holy Sites

Children—symbols of life’s innocence and the future’s hope—have borne the brunt of this relentless war. To date, 18,000 children have been killed by Israeli bullets and bombs. This war has seen the birth and death of 281 infants—snuffed out moments after their first breath. Another 892 children died before reaching their first birthday. In yet another crime added to the blood-soaked Israeli record, 52 people—mostly children, have died of severe malnutrition, victims of the occupying power’s deliberate starvation tactics. Seventeen displaced individuals, including 14 children, have died from the bitter cold and inhumane living conditions in fragile tents.

Women have not been spared from the Zionist enemy’s brutality. So far, 12,400 women have lost their lives beneath the random shelling, along with their dreams and futures. In blatant attacks on humanitarian efforts, Zionist forces have killed 1,402 medical personnel affiliated with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 113 civil defense workers risking their lives to rescue others, 211 courageous journalists trying to show the world the truth on the ground, and 748 police officers and aid workers striving to maintain order and deliver the scarce humanitarian assistance. A staggering 157 separate assaults targeted aid distribution and security teams.

In a horrifying precedent that shakes the conscience of humanity, the Zionist entity has created seven mass graves within hospital compounds—turned into battlegrounds—where 529 bodies have so far been recovered, evidence of the scale of crimes being committed out of sight. Gaza’s overburdened hospitals have received 116,505 wounded individuals, 17,000 of whom require long-term rehabilitation due to severe injuries, with 4,700 amputations—18% of those in children who will carry these physical and emotional scars forever. Shockingly, 60% of the victims are women and children. Additionally, 409 journalists have been wounded while covering the aggression.

The Israeli attacks haven’t spared civilian infrastructure. A total of 232 shelters housing displaced families were deliberately targeted. As a result, 39,400 children are now orphaned, either having lost both parents or one. 14,500 women have lost their husbands and now face a doubled burden of loss and responsibility. At least 3,500 children are at risk of death from severe malnutrition, while 22,000 patients urgently require treatment abroad, which the Zionist enemy is preventing. An additional 13,000 patients have completed the necessary paperwork but are being blocked from traveling, while 12,500 cancer patients face certain death due to a lack of medication. Another 3,000 patients suffer from critical conditions needing specialized treatment unavailable in Gaza.

Epidemics, Torture, Displacement, and Systematic Destruction

The Zionist enemy’s policy of forced displacement has led to an unprecedented outbreak of infectious diseases. More than 2,136,026 cases of communicable diseases have been recorded due to overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a lack of clean water. Some 71,338 people have contracted serious hepatitis infections. Around 60,000 pregnant women face grave risks due to the complete absence of basic prenatal care. Meanwhile, 350,000 chronically ill patients are on the brink of death due to the blockade and the ban on importing life-saving medicine.

The Zionist enemy has launched a sweeping campaign of arbitrary arrests, detaining 6,633 Palestinians from Gaza, including 362 healthcare workers. Three doctors have been executed in secret prisons under brutal torture. The enemy also detained 48 prominent journalists and 26 civil defense members who were trying to save lives from the rubble.

Currently, nearly 2 million forcibly displaced Palestinians live in Gaza, homeless and exposed. Israel has deliberately targeted 28 soup kitchens and 37 humanitarian aid centers as part of its starvation policy. Living conditions in displacement camps have deteriorated catastrophically, with 111,000 tents no longer fit for human habitation, and 280,000 families urgently needing alternative shelter after their homes were completely destroyed.

Massive Destruction of Infrastructure, Mosques, Churches, and Cemeteries

Places of worship and holy sites are being deliberately targeted. The Zionist enemy has completely demolished 828 mosques and severely damaged 167 others in need of complete restoration. Three historic churches were also directly targeted. The desecration extended to the dead; 19 cemeteries have been fully or partially destroyed, and the Zionist enemy has stolen 2,300 bodies from Gaza’s graves in a grotesque violation of human dignity.

The Zionist entity has obliterated 165,000 housing units and rendered another 115,000 uninhabitable. A further 200,000 homes suffered partial damage. An estimated 100,000 tons of explosives have been dropped on civilians, resulting in unparalleled destruction. The Zionist military has also destroyed or disabled 38 hospitals and 81 health centers, targeted 164 health facilities, bombed 144 ambulances, and attacked 54 firefighting and rescue vehicles.

Additionally, 206 historical and cultural landmarks have been demolished. The Israeli enemy has destroyed 3,780 kilometers of power lines, 2,105 electricity transformers, and deprived Gaza of 1.88 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, leading to a near-total blackout. It has also destroyed 330,000 meters of water pipelines, 655,000 meters of sewage lines, and 2.85 million meters of road networks, crippling transportation. Forty-five sports facilities were also attacked, along with 719 water wells—vital sources of life. The overall destruction of Gaza has reached 88%, with preliminary direct losses estimated at $42 billion.

Gaza: An Icon of Legendary Resilience

Despite the agony and monumental destruction, the people of Gaza remain steadfast, clinging to their land and identity, firm in their right to live, to freedom, and to dignity. This brutal aggression, with all its horror and crimes, will not break their will. Instead, it fuels their resolve in confronting the Zionist enemy. Gaza will remain a symbol of legendary resilience and unique sacrifice. The stories of its heroic martyrs and wounded will be etched deeply into the collective memory of future generations, bearing eternal witness to the barbarity of the Israeli enemy and the bravery of the Palestinian resistance—until the day victory dawns and the sun of freedom and justice rises over this blessed land by Allah’s will.