Gaza residents recall horrors of Israeli airstrikes as tensions escalate

Israeli fighter jets pounded various locations in Gaza, while Palestinians continued to launch rockets into Israel, intensifying the deadly confrontation that has now entered its fourth consecutive day.

During a lull in the fighting on Thursday, Palestinians examined the devastation caused by Israeli attacks that targeted residential buildings.

At the scenes of the destruction, a Palestinian child points to his bombed house, recounting the chilling experience.

"I was sleeping, and suddenly I felt something was pulling me down to the ground like a magnet," he told TRT World.

He re-enacts the scene with his hands, illustrating the invisible force. "I have heard when the missiles are close to you, you don't hear their sound or feel them. So do people die without pain then?"

An elderly man, devastated by the targeting of his house that has been reduced to a heap of rubble, mourned not only the loss of his home but also the passing of his family dentist.

"I am not used to seeing Dr. Jamal like this. He was always smiling and his eyes used to shine,” he said, struggling to reconcile the memories of the friendly doctor. "These teeth I have, he worked on them for free," he reminisces, illustrating the depth of their bond.

“I am shocked. Why was our house targeted? they do not care about civilians,” he told TRT World.

Explosions resonated in various parts of Gaza early on Tuesday, targeting residential buildings.

The Israeli army said the air attacks, codenamed “Operation Shield and Arrow”, targeted three Islamic Jihad armed group members who it claimed were responsible for recent rockets fired at Israel.

Islamic Jihad confirmed the deaths of three of its commanders – Jihad al Ghannam, Khalil al Bahtini, and Tariq Izz al Deen.

The group is of the most prominent Palestinian resistance movements and is known to oppose any negotiated settlement with Israel.

The movement was established in 1981 by a group of Palestinian students in Egypt with the goal of creating a Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank, besieged Gaza, and other regions that are now part of Israel.

It is one of the two primary Palestinian organisations in Gaza, but it is considerably smaller than the ruling Hamas group.

The airstrikes also killed 10 civilians on Tuesday. According to a statement released by the group, the three commanders, along with their wives and several children, were among those killed.

The airstrikes continued for a fourth straight day on Thursday, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed to 30 and more than 90 injured, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

According to Salama Marouf, the chairman of the media office for the governing Hamas group in Gaza, five buildings were destroyed, and more than 300 apartments suffered damage.

Since Tuesday, Israel has restricted the movement of people and goods, completely restricting travel, even for urgent humanitarian needs.

Human rights groups have reported that this blockade has also prevented patients from accessing necessary medical treatment not available within Gaza.

Late on Monday, Maysaa Izz al Deen recalled how she, along with her four children and husband, gathered together until midnight, sharing a meal - they cherished their time as a family.

Her daughter Mayer insisted on staying awake past her bedtime beside his father, Tariq Izz al Deen, a senior commander of Islamic Jihad, who had recently returned from a gruelling battle against cancer.

Early on Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes struck their home, killing Maysaa’s two children, Mayer (10) and Ali (7), including her husband Tariq.

Struggling to find words, Maysaa remains deeply traumatised, grappling with the magnitude of her loss.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday, condemned the civilian loss of life that occurred during Israeli airstrikes.

“Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the proportional use of force and taking all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations,” he said in a statement.

While Egypt remains engaged in mediating truce efforts, an official announcement has not yet been made. According to two knowledgeable Palestinian officials, the parties involved are currently discussing a draft proposal put forward by Cairo.

One of the conditions for a truce requested by Islamic Jihad is that Israel agrees to cease targeting its leaders, a demand that Israel has declined.

Back in Gaza, Ali and Mayar’s teacher Rasha Shakshak said that she has accepted the fact that her two bright students are no longer with them.

“But the loss of our vibrant students leaves an indelible void, forever altering the lives of those who cherished her infectious energy.”