Daily Times

After her house was levelled by an Israeli strike, Najah Nabhan wonders what will become of her and dozens of relatives left homeless by the latest fighting to hit Gaza.

“I’d barely reached the street, then the house was bombed,” said Nabhan, standing next to a mangled heap of concrete slabs and breeze blocks that had been the family home. Dozens of homes were destroyed during five days of fighting, which erupted when the Israeli military launched deadly strikes on top militants from the Islamic Jihad militant group. Nabhan, 56, has been trying to care for her children and grandchildren, many of whom have disabilities, since they were left homeless on Saturday.

“I borrow clothes from the neighbours for them. I didn’t take anything with me,” she said, in the Bir al-Najeh neighbourhood of northern Gaza. The family said they were warned in a phone call from the Israeli military that a strike was imminent, but the army did not detail why it targeted the house when asked by AFP.

In total, 103 homes were completely destroyed and 140 severely damaged in the fighting, the United Nations said Tuesday, citing officials in Gaza. Belal Nabhan, 35, earns just 10 shekels ($2.70) a day selling parsley in the market, and said he remains in a state of shock. “People were screaming and we ran away… now 45 people are staying here, where will they go? They need shelter,” he said, indicating relatives resting beside the rubble.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, which is ruled by Islamist group Hamas, have fought multiple wars in recent years. The ruins of past conflicts — such as a three-day escalation in August which killed 49 Gazans — are dotted across the densely populated Palestinian territory.