Palestinian writer gives poignant account of the situation in Gaza.

247 - In an exclusive account given to 247 In an interview with Nathalia Urban, Palestinian writer Yahya Basheer recounts the suffering endured by the population of the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel's attacks on their territory in October 2023. According to him, the situation worsened at the end of last year when Israel also began targeting the southern Gaza Strip. “Since the end of the truce in early December last year, the Israeli army has launched a military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, specifically in the Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah provinces. As I live in Deir al-Balah, my house and the houses of many neighbors have been systematically bombed as part of a policy of expulsion and displacement imposed by the Zionists on the residents of their areas of residence. At that time, the Israeli army forced people to emigrate under cannon fire and aerial bombardment.”

He states that Israel bombs civilian homes without any need or justification, and even schools are not spared. Essential civilian infrastructure has also been destroyed. "This led to people fleeing to UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] schools, hoping to protect them from the bombings. Despite this, Israel also bombed UNRWA schools. My house and my neighbors' houses were bombed for no other reason than Israel's desire to expel us and punish us collectively for being Palestinians. Furthermore, Israeli army aircraft bombed water wells and solar panels on houses, as well as communication cables and wireless transmission towers with the aim of cutting off the communications network and dispersing people! This led to the disruption of communication between injured citizens and civil defense, medical, and first aid teams, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of citizens who died in the streets due to their injuries."

"Throughout the previous period, from December until now, at the end of January, we have been living in a very, very difficult situation. Drinking water is hardly available, and even then it's not completely safe to drink; the water we use for daily needs, such as bathing, washing clothes, and so on, is equally bad. Even food, vegetables, and supplies... Israel bombed markets and UNRWA supply stores, or even those belonging to civilians were destroyed!! This led to the collapse of the situation, and unfortunately, we lost many basic things that help a person live. There are no vegetables, no rice, no wheat flour, no sanitary napkins or diapers for children, and there isn't even toilet paper…," says Basheer. "Regarding electricity, there hasn't been electricity in Gaza for four months, and now people depend on small solar panels to charge their phones and light the tents or houses where they are sheltered."

The writer states that he has had no source of income for four months and is struggling to obtain basic supplies: "Personally, it has been four months since I've had a source of income, and I can't describe the extent of what I'm suffering in terms of the cost of food and drink or what is necessary to survive. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do, or work to earn money, and this is the case for hundreds of thousands of people. You might ask me how I managed to get an internet connection. This is a complicated story due to the disruption of communications and internet services; I managed to access the internet with great difficulty through mobile data."

Regarding the dribs and drabs of humanitarian aid sent to the Palestinians, he says, "They bring us some clothes, some medical gloves, and a lot of canned food that not even animals would eat!"

Basheer also expresses outrage at the international community's lack of sensitivity to the situation of the Palestinian people. "I don't know what life will be like later, but the only thing I believe is that [we Palestinians] die every day and nobody cares. Nobody cares about Israel's crimes, the killing of civilians, and the bombing of homes, streets, and every aspect of life. Nobody can describe how cheap a person's life can be. And it's 2024! Why doesn't the world care about us like it did about the Russian and Ukrainian wars, and why did the world rush to embrace the Ukrainians and house them in first-world countries without conditions or restrictions, while we are besieged in a giant prison? We are condemned to be killed and to starve, and unfortunately even the aid they say is entering Gaza isn't coming...this is ridiculous! I am mentally and physically exhausted beyond description."