'Our lives are wasted': Palestinians recall horrors of Israel's Shujaiya strikes

Malak Yahya was reading a book at home when the massive Israeli bombing of Gaza City's Shujaiya neighbourhood took place on Wednesday.

“The sound was frightening, the entire house shook, and the window fell on me,” she told Middle East Eye.

She quickly went down to pick up her two younger brothers, who were outside when the strikes hit, as she was worried the Israeli army would attack again.

“We feel tired, sad and scared because we might be the occupation’s next target, because no one knows what will happen in the next minute as long as the war is raging,” she said. “Our lives are wasted meaninglessly during the war, and in addition to that, we lose our dearest people, friends and neighbours.”

The bombing of Shujaiya was described as a belt of fire by all witnesses. It was followed by a second, smaller attack near a school shelter in the area.

A total of 35 Palestinians were killed in the attacks, according to Al Jazeera, with Palestinian news agency Wafa saying the majority were women and children.

Hamza Mushtaha, a journalist in Shujaiya, told MEE that the areas where the strikes took place did not fall under any of the Israeli army’s evacuation orders from the past few days.

“When Israel sent the evacuation orders, it divided the area in two,” he said. “The strike took place on the western side, which was not included in the evacuation order, so people were in their homes - they had not left. The area was supposed to be safe.”

Shujaiya’s western side, an already densely populated neighbourhood, was also sheltering people who had escaped from the eastern areas.

War on Gaza: Israeli attack on Shujaiya homes kills 30 with more feared under rubble

Read More »

Nadera Mushtaha, who lives on the western side, had her displaced relatives at home at the time.

“They all woke up in a panic,” she said. “The strike was so strong it was as if they hit our home.”

Nadera lives roughly 400 metres from where the attack took place, but she and Hamza both say Israel’s bombings have been getting more ferocious lately, leading them to be felt strongly from a distance.

“The smoke was very thick, and the shrapnel kept falling from the force of the strike,” Nadera said. “People were screaming in the street and running in every direction. Some people were transporting the wounded on horse-drawn carriages, regular cars, or tuk-tuks.”

The Israeli army kept on firing artillery shells and white phosphorous on the targeted area, according to Nadera, with helicopters hovering overhead.

Many Shujaiya residents decided to leave the area entirely after the attack, regardless of Israel’s evacuation maps.

“After today’s strike, maybe 70 percent of previously inhabited areas have been evacuated,” Mushtaha added. “Shujaiya only has some western areas remaining, with a very small population.”

However, some like Nadera and Yahya will remain for now.

'We are buried under the rubble'

“My family, the displaced among us and I will stay at home, but we have prepared bags for any sudden displacement,” Nadera said. “We are all nervous and very scared.”

More than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since Israel broke the ceasefire on 18 March, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

In total, Israel’s attacks have killed more than 50,800 in the besieged enclave since October 2023.

Shujaiya was the target of countless Israeli bombings and invasions throughout the war, leading to heavy destruction. Despite that, many of its original residents returned after the ceasefire went into force in late January, only to find themselves facing Israel's war again.

“Our lives and dreams end in the most horrible ways,” said Yahya. “We die and are buried under the rubble, and no one in the world takes any action to help us.”