The northern town of Jabaliya had already endured intense assaults from the Israeli military earlier in the conflict, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and significant destruction of the suburb. With Israeli ground forces shifting focus to other parts of the Gaza Strip and military strikes concentrating elsewhere, residents believed they had survived the worst.
However, last week, the Israeli military once again dropped leaflets over Jabaliya, where tens of thousands reside, ordering them to evacuate in anticipation of a renewed offensive.
“When the Israelis dropped the leaflets, people were terrified, especially given what they experienced previously,” said Iman Abu Jalhum, 23, who graduated from medical school two months before the war began and has been volunteering in hospitals to treat the wounded. “We thought we were safe since we had already been attacked; the Israelis have already been here.”
Shortly after the leaflets were distributed, bombs began to fall. Ms. Abu Jalhum, her 16-year-old sister, and her parents fled their home under the bombardment. She only had time to pack a few items of clothing and put on her prayer shawl. Her father, who has back issues, struggled to walk. Eventually, they found a donkey cart to carry him the remaining distance, a few miles south.
Israel stated it had renewed the offensive in Jabaliya on May 11 because Hamas was attempting to rebuild its infrastructure and operatives in the area. Hamas accused Israel of “escalating its aggression against civilians all across Gaza” and vowed to continue the fight.
According to Wafa, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, at least 15 civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya on Saturday, with 30 others wounded. Ambulance and emergency crews have been unable to reach the area to rescue the injured and retrieve the bodies.
On Saturday, the Israeli military reported it had “engaged and eliminated” Hamas fighters in Jabaliya in several battles and discovered multiple tunnel shafts. Hamas claimed its fighters destroyed an Israeli tank south of Jabaliya.
Ms. Abu Jalhum and her family are among at least 64,000 people displaced from Jabaliya and a neighboring town in the past week, according to the main U.N. agency aiding Palestinians, UNRWA.
They are now sheltering a few miles south in a bombed-out building, where the smell of unrecovered bodies permeates the air. Strikes still occur nearby, but there are fewer explosions and no clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters.
On Thursday, Ms. Abu Jalhum attempted to return to Jabaliya to check on her home, walking for 45 minutes through debris-covered streets. However, as she neared her neighborhood, explosions forced her to turn back.
“Yes, we have some courage, but we’re still afraid,” she said. “You might see martyrs killed in the street that no one can reach. You’re afraid there could be a sniper. The drones might target anyone walking in the streets.”
Her family has had to flee multiple times during the seven-month war, always seeking refuge with relatives in the same area. This time, the offensive is more widespread and intense, she said.
“We just want to go home,” she said, adding, “We’re so exhausted. You see it in our faces. We want to cry at times, but we’re unable to.”
