Gaza Herald- What was once a vibrant neighborhood in Gaza City has now been turned into another man-made inferno by Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians, nearing two years in duration.
Al-Zeitoun, the largest quarter of Gaza’s Old City, has become the center of Israel’s latest campaign aimed at tightening its grip over Gaza City.
Eyewitnesses told Middle East Eye and local media that the community has endured more than a week of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, with over 400 homes reduced to rubble.
When Israel broke the ceasefire in mid-March, Sameh al-Sakani, a 32-year-old resident of al-Zeitoun, held out hope that mass killing and forced displacement would not return.
“But unfortunately, we are now living through the worst days we have seen since the war began,” said the father of four.
“I was first displaced to southern Gaza at the start of the war and remained there for 16 months. Those months felt like 16 years filled with humiliation, hunger, fear, killings, and constant insecurity.”
After being displaced multiple times, Sakani is now preparing for yet another move, this time to the Sabra neighborhood in southwest Gaza City, where he will live with his wife, children, and in-laws.
He fears that if they are attacked, civil defense crews will not be able to reach them—a grim reality for countless families across Gaza.
Robots, Booby Traps, and Relentless Bombardment
Residents of al-Zeitoun report that Israel has deployed killer robots capable of demolishing entire housing blocks.
“In al-Zeitoun, the army is now very close to my home, and I fear they will target it—or that one of these robots could approach, detonate, and wipe us all out,” Sakani said.
Tharwa Jawad, a 37-year-old father of three, told MEE that “all of Gaza is exposed to bombardment.”
“I had always refused to abandon my home, even in fear, because my soul is tied to it. During an invasion last year, soldiers came within 100 meters, yet I stayed. But now, the situation is unbearable.”
Jawad described how the robots “destroy everything around them” while relentless shelling targets civilians without mercy. He added that booby traps and what appear to be experimental weapons have been deployed in the neighborhood, creating an atmosphere of nonstop detonations, explosions, and chaos.
Warda Saeed, another al-Zeitoun resident, also described the pounding airstrikes, artillery fire, and the targeting of high-rise buildings—“and even worse, the robots.”
The 33-year-old explained how an attack near her home last Sunday filled her family of six—including a sister with a visual disability with terror.
“Over the past year, we stayed in the north and refused to move south, despite the hunger, bombing, and repeated displacement, because safety doesn’t exist in Gaza neither north nor south,” she said.
But in late June, her father, Saeed, was killed by Israeli forces while trying to bring food to the family.
“My biggest fear is losing another member of my family,” she added.
Fading Hopes for a Ceasefire
Saeed said her family is glued to the news, desperately searching for updates on a ceasefire, yet “the situation only gets worse.”
“Either we lose our homes, or we are forced to flee. Stop this war before it’s too late.”
Sakani said he is losing faith that the war will end, as Israel continues its genocidal campaign with total impunity.
“What are they waiting for before they stop this? Do they want every single one of us in Gaza to die? We don’t want empty statements and condemnations; we need real action to stop this war,” he said.
“I send a message to [Donald] Trump and [Benjamin] Netanyahu, who pretend to care about humanity: Stop bombing civilians and children. We are not military targets. We are ordinary people trying to survive with our children. Imagine they were your children, don’t kill them.”
Jawad added that he and his family spend hours each day watching the news, but only despair grows.
“We feel hopeless, drained, and broken because there’s no way to escape the endless bad news. I have no message for the world anymore, our suffering has been broadcast in countless pictures and reports. The truth is, we are left to endure this genocide alone.”
