Gaza Herald — The chant, “There is no god but Allah, and the martyr is beloved to Allah,” continues to echo through Gaza’s streets. It has become the sound of daily funerals in a territory where death remains a constant presence despite the announcement of a ceasefire.
While political leaders discuss new phases of the agreement, Palestinians continue burying their loved ones. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 30 people were killed during the past 72 hours alone, adding to a growing toll that has continued to rise since the ceasefire was announced.
Among the latest victims was a pregnant woman whose unborn child was killed after an Israeli airstrike ripped through her abdomen just days before she was due to give birth.
In another attack, a young groom, Ramadan Abu Ouda, was preparing a tent where he planned to celebrate his wedding. An Israeli strike reduced it to a place of mourning before the ceremony could begin.
As relatives searched through the wreckage, one family member held part of the young man’s brain in his hands.
“They tore him apart inside the tent where he was supposed to begin his new life,” he told Al Jazeera. “Even the little moments of joy we try to create are pursued by Israel.”
These are only two of the 1,249 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire was announced on October 10, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
For many Palestinians, there has been no “post-war” period. They describe the ceasefire as existing only on paper while the killings continue, leaving behind new survivors forced to tell the stories of those who no longer can.
One of the most devastating accounts comes from Mohammed al-Masri, who says he could do nothing but listen as his brother’s four children screamed for help after an Israeli missile struck the neighboring room, killing their parents instantly and setting the apartment ablaze.
The children’s cries echoed through the burning home as flames rapidly spread around them. Desperate to reach them, Mohammed tore down the door separating his family from theirs, believing it would give him a chance to rescue them.
Instead, it gave the fire another path.
Within moments, the flames rushed through the opening, surrounding both families inside the apartment.
