Israel recently launched airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation for the Qassam (homemade) rockets that Gazan militants often fire into Israeli territory. Gazan civilians have suffered severe collateral damage. Omar Shaban, CRS’ Head of Office in Gaza, writes:

Omar Shaban, CRS’ Head of Office in Gaza. Photo by CRS

The situation is the Gaza Strip is unprecedented in terms of the level of suffering. Most of the victims are civilians; many houses were destroyed. When Israeli air fighters targeted Hamas’ buildings, which are empty, all the buildings in the area were severely damaged. There is no raw material available in the markets, no glass to repair the windows, no wood to repair the doors and kitchens, no tools and spare parts to repair the water and electricity networks which were damaged by the shelling. There is no fuel at all — very few cars and people are on the streets.

The entire area from the Erez crossing to Salah Din Road is under Israeli bombardment. People who live in these areas can not leave their homes. Journalists were not allowed to enter closely to these areas. Humanitarian organizations were allowed to enter into these areas only in the second day of the military operation.

Gaza’s hospitals are not able to cope with the huge number of casualties. Hospitals are treating people in the corridors because the ICUs are too small to cope with the number. Gaza City has become a dead city.

As thousands of Palestinians stream from Gaza into Egypt following cutoffs in fuel and supplies, CRS staffers in the troubled region have contacted us with their stories of life during the blockade. One CRS project officer lives in Rafah, about six hundred feet away from the border with Egypt. She writes: “Today [Jan. 23] at about 2:00 am, we woke up to the sound of successive explosions. All night we couldn’t sleep, and were scared and worried. We were thinking, ‘This may be an Israeli incursion to our region.’ In the morning we discovered the cause of the explosions: armed groups destroying the border between Egypt and Palestine.” Amid the general elation about the freedom of movement, she says, is a haunting feeling that there will be repercussions for breaking down the wall.

On Tuesday morning, the CRS receptionist in Gaza described her family’s struggles during the electrical cutoff and blockade on heating fuel: “Last night, my sister was preparing for today’s exam at her college. It was very hard for her to concentrate on her study due to the severe cold and the weak light of the gas lamp, which ran out after few hours. My father, my brothers and some neighbors were sitting in groups listening to the news.”

Egypt is allowing Gazans to cross the border and buy food and supplies; many of these Palestinians are returning to their homes in Gaza, but some say they won’t. As Middle Eastern, U.S. and UN leaders decide what to do next, CRS is closely monitoring the situation and preparing its staff in Jerusalem and Gaza to deal with the impact of these difficult days in Gaza.