GAZA, (PIC)
For a whole week, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) wreaked havoc and destruction in the area east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, turning the Al-Qastal neighborhood from a beautiful oasis into piles of rubble.
The withdrawal of the IOF soldiers from the neighborhoods they had invaded in Deir al-Balah, including Al-Qastal, allowed residents to access the area, where they were shocked by the extent of the destruction that had befallen a place they once took pride in for its beauty and tranquility.
The Al-Qastal neighborhood, located east of Deir al-Balah, contained a number of residential towers and was one of the beautiful urban areas in the central Gaza Strip. It suffered systematic destruction, as revealed by our reporter who visited the area after the Israeli army withdrew from it on Thursday morning.
Accessing the neighborhood was difficult due to the extensive destruction of the streets, which were filled with potholes and debris from destroyed homes. Nevertheless, citizens went to check on their belongings and apartments, according to our reporter. Residents were stunned by the scale of the destruction; most of the towers that had been a dream for citizens seeking decent housing were largely destroyed, and the once-beautiful neighborhood has now become a mere memory.
An earthquake struck the area
“It’s as if an earthquake struck the area,” residents describe the scene in the neighborhood, just as it is in every area invaded by the IOF troops, which emerges from their path of destruction, devastation, and death.
Citizen Fayez al-Ata’s eyes filled with tears as he told the Palestinian Information Center that after hearing about the withdrawal of the occupation army, he rushed to his apartment to check on it, only to be shocked to find that the entire tower had been destroyed by the army.
Abu al-Ata spent only two years building his dream apartment, a dream that has now been shattered by the arrogance and heinous crimes of the Zionist forces.
He continues, stating that the occupation seeks a complete and total destruction of the Gaza Strip after failing to eliminate the resistance in the ongoing battle for the past 11 months.
The Al-Qastal neighborhood was a housing project established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to accommodate Palestinian refugees.
We are resilient
Not far away, citizen Mohammed Hamid sits with his hand on his cheek. When our reporter approached him, a deep sigh of pain and anguish escaped from his heart.
He told our reporter, “What more do they want to do than what they have already done? They have killed us, exterminated us, and destroyed our homes.”
He continued, “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. May Allah destroy them; we are resilient.”
The destruction that has befallen the Al-Qastal neighborhood resembles what has occurred in various areas of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation aims to displace citizens and undermine their steadfastness, according to residents who understand the occupation’s plans. Therefore, they hasten to set up tents near their homes, declaring their refusal to be displaced and affirming their steadfastness regardless of the cost.
