The destruction is abnormal, catastrophic, as if a nuclear bomb had hit the area. It’s a sight that cannot be described.”

While the ceasefire in Gaza has finally been announced, in the past months people across the Strip have continued to suffer from Israeli forcesWhile the ceasefire in Gaza has finally been announced, in the past months people across the Strip have continued to suffer from Israeli forces' relentless bombardments. The northern governorate of Gaza in particular has been under siege and subject to horrific bombing and attacks. Meanwhile, almost no humanitarian aid has managed to enter the north and people have been cut off from health care as hospitals have also been under siege and subject to incursions. In our clinic in Gaza City, patients who managed to escape the horror recount their experience during the siege.

Mustafa Hassan Abu Hamada and his family were living in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza during the recent brutal Israeli military siege, which has left the city completely destroyed and killed and injured countless civilians, including Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff. 

“People in front of us tried to escape at the Al-Awda junction, but they were shot at. We were forced to return. We said, ‘Let us die in our homes.’ I would rather die in my house than be displaced,” says Mustafa. 

In north Gaza, the Israeli military has been carrying out a ground offensive since Oct. 6,2024. This ongoing military offensive is a clear illustration of the brutal war the Israeli forces are waging on Gaza, and we are witnessing Palestinian life being wiped from the area. 

“When the Israeli forces arrived, we stayed for an hour or two before shells started raining down on us from all directions,” says Sabah Al-Sharawi who was sheltering in her home in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, when it was targeted by an airstrike. 

“The first shell came through the living room. It hit my legs – both of my legs,” she says. “They took us to Kamal Adwan hospital.” 

“On the way, we saw bodies lying everywhere. Dogs were gnawing at them. Drones were hovering above us, and a helicopter circled overhead.”