![]() Hamouda, a father of three, told CNN the threat of a ground assault “scares us because we are unarmed civilians.” Gazans there will see no relief in the coming days after negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas broke down this month, reigniting fears of an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. Israeli special forces had launched “targeted raids” in the Hamad area of southern Gaza on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Journalist Ahmad Hijazi told CNN that the bombardment struck just as members of the Al Barakat family awoke to eat suhoor – the predawn meal Muslims eat before starting their fast. At least three women were killed on Monday in an airstrike on a home in the Al-Junaina neighborhood, east of Rafah. Mohammed Talatene/picture alliance/Getty ImagesĮven worshippers could not welcome the Islamic holy month in peace. ![]() Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Al-Farouq Mosque, which was destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on March 8. Five months into the war, Palestinians in the city told CNN they are barely surviving the terror of persistent aerial bombardment. This month, dozens of displaced civilians lined the streets of Rafah to demand an immediate ceasefire before Ramadan. How long will this death last? ” the man added. “However, with the advent of Ramadan, we hear nothing but the sound of aircraft, drones, threats and intimidation. Rasmi Abu Al-Anin, 52, a demonstrator, told CNN on March 6 that children in Gaza “used to wait for this month to fast, pray, play with lanterns, play in the evening, rejoice and to wait for Eid.” One child carries a sign in English that reads, “Stop our daily death.” Looming assault in Rafah, no signs of a ceasefireīoys and girls swaddled in puffy winter coats link arms as they march through the streets of Rafah. “Some of them have already died and others are waiting to die. “Many of our friends and loved ones were buried alive under the rubble,” Mohammed Hamouda, a displaced health worker in Rafah, told CNN. Human rights agencies have warned that families celebrating Ramadan in Gaza face new horrors against the backdrop of severe aid shortages, mass displacement and psychological trauma. They say Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, the agency that controls access to Gaza, has imposed arbitrary and contradictory criteria. Humanitarian workers and government officials overseeing aid distribution in Gaza told CNN a clear pattern has emerged of Israeli obstruction of aid delivery. Israel insists there is “no limit” on the amount of aid that can enter Gaza, but its inspection regime on aid trucks means relief is barely trickling in. Palestinian children sit in front of Ramadan-themed mural in Gaza City on March 8. Two of those died of malnutrition during the first days of Ramadan, according to the ministry. At least 27 people have starved to death so far, including newborn babies, pediatric doctors told CNN. Since then, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 31,300 Palestinians – 72% of whom are women and children – according to the Ministry of Health in the enclave. Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after the militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, killed at least 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others on October 7. “But this Ramadan is coming amidst genocide and famine.” “We wait for Ramadan because it’s a month of blessings, peace, and worship,” Aseel Mousa, 26, a journalist displaced in Rafah, told CNN. Further south, in Rafah, Palestinians say they are terrified by the threat of a potentially bloody Israeli ground offensive in the city – where most civilians have been forced to flee from bombardment. Children desperately rummage through garbage, searching for scraps of food. Some are grappling with the reality that they will not find enough sustenance to break their fast as Israel’s siege diminishes critical supplies, inflicting deadly hunger on Palestinians.įood shortages are reportedly worst in the north, where some say they are abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset not because of Ramadan, but because they have no other choice. ![]() Palestinians told CNN the war has crushed hopes of observing a peaceful month of fasting, festivities and worship this year. Related article American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza this Ramadan as threat of mass starvation loomsīut the hum of Israeli drones cuts through the festivities as a reminder that this is no ordinary Ramadan in Gaza. Displaced Palestinian children prepare to have a meal of rice near a food distribution point in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 8, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.
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