Shejaiya residents struggling to survive amid destruction

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians in the ravaged Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City face immense difficulties trying to survive amid a lack of basic services, food shortages, a water crisis and infrastructure destruction as the Israeli onslaught enters its 10th month.

Abu Mohammad Hajila, 44, sits on the rubble of a destroyed residential building in the neighborhood, contemplating the extensive damage caused by Israeli airstrikes and ground operations since the beginning of the war on Gaza.

With his wife, Samaher Hajila, 40, he gathers wood and paper to start a fire, salvaging what he can from the remains to use in their daily lives.

The food shortage in Gaza City and northern Gaza is worsening, threatening lives due to the ongoing war amid an intensified Israeli blockade, which limits the already scarce supplies.

From June 28 to July 10, the Israeli army conducted a ground operation in Shejaiya, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian casualties and massive destruction.

On July 11, Gaza’s Civil Defense declared the area an “unhabitable disaster zone.”

– Facing death –

“Our lives are filled with fear; we live under the constant threat of death,” said Mohammad Hajila.

He and his family suffer from severe shortages of food, medicine and water. “Hunger is prevalent in the area, and we suffer from psychological pressure, stress, and lack of water, food, and medicine,” he said.

He explains that his wife developed splenomegaly — an enlargement of the spleen — and hepatomegaly, an enlargement of the liver, from inhaling smoke while starting fires to cook, and the family cannot afford her treatment.

“The neighborhood has turned into a wasteland, with few inhabited houses.

“We live in constant fear, sleeping and waking up with anxiety even in our sleep,” he said.

His wife describes their difficult lives and plight.

“We have been displaced three times like many others in Gaza. Now, we live in a commercial space beneath a partially destroyed home.

“We live in a disaster zone, surrounded by destruction. The neighborhood has become frightening due to the absence of residents,” she shared.

– Living in ‘dire conditions’ –

In a nearby area, Abu Mohammad Al-Harazin, 52, sits with his family near their partially destroyed home trying to recall beautiful memories before the war.

“No one from other countries cares about us. We live in fear, anxiety, and horror, with food and water shortages, and we have suffered through this genocidal war.

“We search for a piece of bread and struggle with extremely high prices,” he said.

“Our home has been bombed multiple times, and we currently live in dire conditions inside it.

“We have managed to rehabilitate a small space despite the significant destruction,” he added.

Israel has killed over 39,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and has injured over 90,400, according to local health authorities.

After over nine months of Israeli attacks, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

According to a recent study by The Lancet journal, the actual death toll in Gaza including those buried under the rubble, those gone missing and those who died of infectious diseases and malnutrition since October 2023 might be well over 186,00, which is 8% of the entire population of Gaza.