GAZA, (PIC)
In the wake of the occupation’s bombing, genocide, starvation, and siege, thousands of citizens in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, were forced to flee after the army stormed the last shelters and intensified its aggression, which has been ongoing since October 5.
The citizens left the town through a checkpoint set up by the occupation army, where young men and those over 18 were arrested and taken for interrogation, while women and children continued their journey to Gaza City, walking more than 10 kilometers on foot.
For two months, citizens in northern Gaza endured bombing, killing, and starvation, refusing to comply with the occupation army’s orders for forced displacement. However, the horrors and atrocities they faced compelled thousands to leave the area.
As of Monday, during 60 days of genocide and ethnic cleansing, more than 3,700 citizens have been killed or missing in northern Gaza, in addition to about 10,000 injured and 1,750 arrested.
Forced displacement
Amina Hussein, who fled with four of her children to Gaza City, told Anadolu Agency: “We were forced to leave, feeling oppressed, leaving our men behind in interrogation by the Israeli army.”
She added, “We had to flee after the tanks surrounded us and escalated their bombing towards us in the shelters and surrounding homes.”
Hussein explained that “most of those who remained in northern Gaza gathered in the Abu Tammam school complex in Beit Lahiya in the past days as a last refuge for displacement.”
However, “the occupation army exploited the gathering of people in those schools, advancing towards them at night and forcing them to flee forcibly with the dawn on Wednesday,” according to Amina.
On Wednesday, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli army warned Palestinians to evacuate the Abu Tammam schools, which shelter displaced persons, through loudspeakers mounted on drones, threatening to forcibly clear the schools.
The witnesses explained that thousands of displaced people began to evacuate the schools under the threat of Israeli shelling, causing panic and fear among them.
On October 5, the Israeli army again swept through northern Gaza, aiming to occupy the area and turn it into a buffer zone after displacing residents, amid ongoing bloody bombardment and a tight siege preventing the entry of food, water, and medicine.
Arrest and intimidation
Eman Al-Masri, a young woman who arrived with her family in Gaza after fleeing from Beit Lahiya, said that they were forced to leave their home near the shelters.
She explained to Anadolu that the Israeli army arrested her father and three brothers for interrogation, and they still have no information about their fate.
She added, “My mother, my sisters, and I are very worried about them. They have been detained with hundreds of displaced people for several hours, and we have not heard any news about them yet.”
Eman continued, “On our way out, the Israeli army detained women and children for about two hours, insulting us and firing guns in the air to scare us.”
She recounted, “After that, they allowed us to leave in front of the military vehicles. The situation was difficult; the road was bad, and everyone was crying in despair and fear.”
Hunger, thirst, and displacement
The Al-Basyuni family, consisting of eight members, experienced hunger and thirst while moving from one shelter to another, refusing to evacuate for 60 days. However, the family was eventually forced to flee after the Israeli army arrested the father and sons, taking them into custody with an unknown fate.
Naghm Al-Basyuni told Anadolu, “The days of the siege were very harsh; we suffered from lack of water and food, and we were afraid of dying from hunger.”
She added, “Despite all that, we decided to persevere, but what happened today and last night (Wednesday) is unbearable; the attacks were more frequent and extremely dangerous.”
She explained, “We had to leave amid the shelling and gunfire, and the siege of military vehicles,” noting that the Israeli army, which claims to be humanitarian, deliberately humiliates people and the displaced on their way, insulting women and attacking men without regard for international laws.
Naghm called on the world to take action against the Israeli army’s actions and to stop all acts of killing and crime against Palestinians in northern Gaza.
