As Israel’s siege of northern Gaza continues, how are people coping? | Israel-Palestine Conflicts News

Israel attacked Beit Lahiya on Saturday, hitting residential buildings. At least 87 people are dead or missing, according to the Government Information Office.

Israel laid siege to northern Gaza more than two weeks ago and has been attacking everyone left in the area since then, resulting in the deaths of many civilians.

Here’s what you need to know about Israel’s ongoing offensive in northern Gaza:

What is Israel doing in northern Gaza?

Israel launched an offensive in northern Gaza on October 6, saying it aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Israeli military spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said that Hamas has established a “terrorist infrastructure in your region, exploiting people, shelters and health centers as a human shield”.

Israel demanded the evacuation of civilians from large areas, including Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoon, asking residents to flee to the south, including the already overcrowded “relief area” in al-Mawasi.

Israel has attacked aid sites several times, prompting the United Nations to repeatedly declare that no place is safe.

“We feel like we are bodies without souls. The bombardment was intense and merciless in our house, ignoring the presence of children and women inside,” a resident of northern Gaza told Al Jazeera. “The bodies are left on the streets. They have become dog food.”

Rescue efforts in the north have been hampered by communications blackouts and roadblocks due to the siege.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military released images showing dozens of Palestinians being rounded up near the Indonesian Hospital, where many were sheltering – people in wheelchairs were seen among those arrested.

How many people are still there?

The evacuation order affected about 400,000 people living there, about 20 percent of Gaza’s population, according to UN estimates.

Many of them are trapped, unable to move due to heavy bombardment, Israeli raids and ground troops.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday warned Israel that “any forced transfer of a large part of the population of Northern Gaza would amount to a war crime”.

Analysts say that Israel’s orders to leave Gaza show that those who cannot, or choose not to, are considered military victims, and “exit areas” are considered “killing areas”.

What are the conditions for the people of northern Gaza?

No food aid has entered the north since October 2, the UN’s acting secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency aid said in a report on Wednesday, adding that “everything essential for survival is running out”.

He warned that while the distribution of “available food” continues, these stocks are “dwindling rapidly”.

The UN’s World Food Program said on October 12 that the north is “cut off and we cannot work there”.

James Smith, an emergency physician who recently returned from working in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that he had joined many aid and medical agencies that were trying to get from the south of Gaza to the north.

“Most of the time, we were denied entry by the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoints,” he said. “Very few UN troops that tried to reach the north have arrived. This also, at times, meant that we were unable to receive injured and sick patients in the north. “

The Israeli military has denied that aid has been restricted, saying that since October 1, more than 9,000 tons of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza by various means.

It said some of that aid was transferred directly to northern Gaza.

The Government Press Office dismissed the claim, calling Israel’s “lies” about allowing the trucks in completely false.

How many people did the Israeli army kill?

Israel has killed at least 450 people in northern Gaza since its siege on October 6, according to doctors who spoke to Al Jazeera.

The main focus of the Israeli offensive in the north has been Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. At least 33 people were killed in Jabalia on Friday.

Are those injured able to receive treatment?

Three hospitals are still partially operational in northern Gaza – al-Awda, Indonesian and Kamal Adwan Hospitals.

These health centers saw a huge influx of patients during Israel’s two-week siege, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

On Friday, the Director-General of Hospitals in the service, Muhammad Zaqout, said that all three facilities were bombed during the latest Israeli operation.

The ministry said two patients at an Indonesian hospital died due to power outages and the Israeli blockade, which prevents medical services from reaching them.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and others were injured after Israeli forces detonated a bomb at the gate of Kamal Adwan Hospital on Saturday.

However, despite the Israeli army’s evacuation orders, doctors at all three centers refused to leave their patients.