By Pen Fang
Since the War in Gaza started in October, an estimated 1.7 million people — more than 75% of Gaza’s population — have been displaced. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. Reports from the Gaza Health Ministry also say more than 13,000 children have been killed since the end of October. Entire families have been wiped off of Gaza’s health registry.
The war began following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and involved the seizure of 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The destruction of Gaza has sparked protests worldwide. US President Joe Biden’s continued support for Israel’s military campaign and US funding of Israel have both drawn intense scrutiny.
As the war continues, Palestinian suffering increases drastically. Most of Gaza’s hospitals have stopped working. In total, twelve are partially functional — six in the north and six in the south. More than 8,000 people need to be moved outside of Gaza for treatment, according to Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for Gaza and the West Bank.
The scale of destruction in Gaza is unbelievably vast. A BBC analysis suggests over half of the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Many of Gaza’s historic sites have suffered extensive damage, including the al-Omari Mosque, which was built in the 7th century. The destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage sites is among the crimes South Africa has alleged in its genocide case against Israel.
Saturday March 9: Biden Pledges Support to Israel, More Israeli Airstrikes on Refugee Camps
“I’m never going to leave Israel,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement pledging his support for Israel despite growing disagreement from Democrat voters. “The defense of Israel is still critical. So there’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.” (The Iron Dome is referring to Israel’s missile defense system.)
“But there’s red lines that if he crosses…” Biden continued, “[we] cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after [Hamas].”
An Israeli airstrike in a residential block at a Nuseirat refugee camp hit a house where 21 displaced Palestinians were sheltering. At least 13 women and children were killed. This is another entry in the growing list of Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian refugee camps since the war began in October.
“There is no safe zone all over the Gaza Strip,” a grandfather who survived the attack said. “Not a single inch is safe. The Israelis are lying. We were told that southwards is safe. We were forced to take shelter here. We are all civilians. All those inside the house were women and children.”
“There is nothing called the international court or international humanitarian law,” he continued. “All of these are just lies. All these names were created to back the strong against the weak; the oppressor against the oppressed.”
Sunday, March 10: Palestinians Prepare for Ramadan in Shadow of War
Several Muslim countries, including the Palestinian territories, announced Monday will be the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and will begin fasting then. Since the October 7 attack, Israel has restricted Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, barring men and boys under 45 and Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank from entering. For the first night of Ramadan prayers, Israeli police denied many Palestinian men entry to Al-Aqsa and charged and attacked the crowd with batons at one gate.
Israel’s war cabinet minister warned in February that if hostages held in Gaza aren’t returned by Ramadan, Israel will launch a military offensive into Rafah. Some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah, many of which fled from northern and central Gaza earlier in the war. In February, Israel intensified its bombardment of Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would push ahead with an offensive into Rafah, but the US is not anticipating an imminent expansion of Israeli military operations into Rafah.
However, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Cairo stalled. A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to more negotiations but, as far as he knew, no dates had been set for further meetings with mediators in Cairo.
“We have established the most important principle for reaching an agreement, which is a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to the war on Gaza, the complete withdrawal of the occupation army from all the territory of the Gaza Strip,” Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, said in a televised speech.
Additionally, the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a humanitarian aid organization providing aid to children, said that its last office in Gaza had been destroyed by one of Israel’s air raids.
In the US, pro-Palestine protests delayed the annual Academy Awards. Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo wore Artists for Ceasefire pins to the ceremony. Jonathan Glazer’s landmark Holocaust film, The Zone of Interest, won the Award for the Best International Feature Film. In his acceptance speech, Glazer said:
“Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”
Monday, March 11: Humanitarian Aid Supply Flow Restricted
Cindy McCain, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP), warned that famine is imminent in northern Gaza if aid to the enclave does not increase “exponentially.”
The number of children dying from malnutrition and dehydration increases as Israeli military operations continue across Gaza. Dr. Samer Libd, a pediatrician at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, told CNN that two newborn baby girls, Wala’ Zeyara and Wala’ Samour, died from malnutrition and dehydration.
“This is a result of Israel’s blocking of medical equipment and supplies to enter the hospital, and a lack of doctors and medical sources in the pediatrics department,” Libd said.
Aid to Palestinians in the occupied territories has decreased drastically during the war. Humanitarian workers and government officials working to deliver aid say a clear pattern of Israeli obstruction has emerged. Items most frequently rejected by the Israelis include anesthetics and anesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, and ventilators and water filtration systems according to documents reviewed by CNN.
Twelve of Israel’s most prominent human rights organizations signed an open letter accusing the country of failing to comply with the international court of justice’s (ICJ) provisional ruling that it should facilitate access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to the Guardian.
“While there’s a war being fought in Gaza, we are fighting a different war here,” one humanitarian worker at Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza said. “It is a war to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Tuesday, March 12: Violence and Suffering Amidst Ramadan
An Israeli border police officer kills a 12-year-old Palestinian child inside the Shuafat refugee camp. In a video of the incident, Rami al-Halhouli was playing with his brother and friends and could be seen holding a lit firework above his head before the crackling sound of a single gunshot was heard. Rami was hit before the firework could even go off. Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, applauded the soldier who fatally shot the boy in a Telegram post.
The UN’s World Food Program said it delivered food to Gaza City for 25,000 Palestinians — the first time since February 20 a convoy from the WFP has been able to reach the city. Additionally, according to the World Central Kitchen, ships carrying aid to Gaza departed from Cyprus. This is the first maritime shipment of aid to the Gaza Strip since the war began. The aid dispatch comes as Cyprus, the European Commission, the United States, the UAE, and the United Kingdom are working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza.
Fears of famine and violence continue to grow for Gaza. Palestinian health officials said at least nine Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli gunfire as crowds awaited aid trucks on Kuwait Square in northern Gaza City. The Gaza-based Government Media Office said at least 400 people have been killed in several similar incidents since the beginning of the war. According to Gaza’s health ministry, the number of Palestinians who have died from malnutrition in Gaza has risen to 27. Ramadan proceeds amidst the starvation and violence, with thousands of Palestinians reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray Taraweeh, a testament to Palestinian strength.
Wednesday, March 13: The Plight of Children and UNRWA Center Attacked
(Palestinians break their fast amid the rubble of their destroyed home during Ramadan, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on March 13, 2024. Image: Reuters)
More children were killed during four months of war in Gaza than in four years of conflict worldwide, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Inside Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, Ayman Al-Zanat worries that his young nephew, Fadi will not make it through the night. Fadi, a 6-year-old with cystic fibrosis, is also suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.
“The weakness and lack of energy in his body are increasing.” Al-Zanat said. “We don’t know what to do. Fadi does not sleep at night.”
As malnutrition and the risk of famine grew, an Israeli attack hit a UN aid distribution center in Rafah, killing at least one UNRWA staff member and injuring more than 20 others.
“It’s a UNRWA center, expected to be secure,” UNRWA staff member Sami Abu Salim told the AFP news agency. “Some came to work to distribute aid to the people in need of food during the holy month of Ramadan. Suddenly, they were struck by two missiles.”
Israel has accused UNRWA of supporting Hamas, which is a marked terrorist group by Israel, the US, UK, and others. The agency has denied these accusations, but the US and other donors have paused funding.
Additionally, an unpublished report by UNRWA details the extensive use of torture against Palestinians taken prisoner by the Israeli military in Gaza, including 21 agency staff members and 15 family members of UNRWA staff. Israel has denied these accusations.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis “is not a natural disaster.”
“When we look for alternative ways of support, by sea, by air,” Borrell said, “we have to remind [ourselves] that we have to do it because the natural way of providing support through roads is being artificially closed,” Borrell said. “Starvation is being used as a warm arm.”
“This Ramadan will be very sad,” a displaced Palestinian girl says in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Quds News Network (QNN), a Palestinian youth news agency. “There will be no joy because of war.”
“We were very happy and composed Ramadan songs. Now while we are in the tents, we are afraid that they will bombard us over our heads,” another girl adds. “Inshallah, there will be a ceasefire.”
Thursday, March 14: Mass Hunger Continues
In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) by QNN, Palestinian children orphaned by the war visit their mother’s grave to mark their first Ramadan without their mother. According to the UN, it will take years to clear the nearly 23 million metric tons of debris in Gaza coming from the destruction of the Israel-Hamas war. While Ramadan continues, the devastation of Palestine grows.
Food running out across Gaza, and also the animal feed that some people turned to to feed themselves. Hazem Saeed Al-Naizi told CNN his family is having to resort to eating plants like hibiscus.
Facing pressure to revitalize the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas appointed Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister of the governing body of the Palestinian territories with a mandate to reform it.
In the US, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish US official, criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and called for new Israeli elections. Schumer says Netanyahu “has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”
Friday, March 15: Israeli Airstrikes Continue, Ramadan Continues Amidst Destruction
(Palestinians perform first Friday prayers during Ramadan near the ruins of Al-Farouk Mosque. Image: Reuters.)
Netanyahu approved a plan to attack Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are trapped. Despite calls from critics and allies alike to hold off the attack for fear of mass civilian casualties, Israel plans to invade, saying Rafah is one of the last Hamas strongholds. The White House says it has not received any plans, including how to get civilians out of harm’s way.
The Israeli offensive through Gaza has pushed over half of the civilian population to Rafah, which is at the southern end. Following orders from the IDF, Palestinians were first told to evacuate Gaza City and then Khan Younis as the ground invasion moved south. Satellite images show Rafah’s makeshift tent city is rapidly expanding. Conditions in Rafah are “very difficult” says Kareem Dahman, a displaced Palestinian in the city who describes a “large number of people, chaos, and high prices.”
“We were buying some supplies from a small grocery store. The last time we bought from it was yesterday,” Dahman said. “In the morning, we went to buy things and found it had been bombed.”
“Electricity is almost non-existent,” he added. This makes it difficult for Palestinians to see communications regarding the IDF’s approach.
Screenings by the U.N. show that 5% of children under age 2 in Rafah are acutely malnourished, also known as “wasting.” The condition leaves them with weakened immune systems, putting them at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases.
Gaza, which relies on desalination plants and pipes from Israel, is further suffering from a water shortage. Many in Rafah drink salty, contaminated water and face hygiene problems, which leads to the spread of disease and infection — when there is very little medical infrastructure. Rafah hospitals are barely able to offer first aid, yet are seeing as many as three times as many patients as before the war.
Additionally, an Israeli airstrike on a residential block in Nuseirat killed 37 people, including pregnant women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Videos from the scene showed extensive destruction, as well as ambulance crews loading bodies wrapped in blankets.
There was also an airstrike in the Deir al Balah area of northern Gaza, according to witnesses. Abdallah Maghbara said the IDF issued telephone warnings, telling them to clear the entire block in 15 minutes.
“All of a sudden two missiles fell on the entire block and completely destroyed seven buildings, nothing was spared.”
Hamas presented a ceasefire proposal including the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, according to Reuters. While Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the terms were unrealistic, an Israeli delegation will still go to Doha for further talks.
Palestinians in Gaza held prayers outside the ruins of a mosque leveled by the Israeli offensive, one of hundreds damaged or destroyed since October, according to the Hamas-run authorities. Amid the desolation, worshippers knelt on prayer mats in the street by the wreckage of the Al-Farouk mosque. The words “Al-Farouk Mosque” were painted on a marquee in the street.
“The whole land is the land of God, so we can pray anywhere. The occupation can’t deprive us of that,” says Abu Jehad, a lawyer who fled to Rafah.
Saturday, March 16: Aid Ship Reaches Gaza
(A World Central Kitchen (WCK) ship loaded with food arrives off the Gaza coast on March 15, 2024. Image: Reuters.)
An aid ship from Cyprus reached Gaza, bringing 200 tons of much-needed food to the region. The ship is being readied for distribution, and a second ship is also expected to sail soon. However, aid agencies have repeatedly warned that bringing in supplies through airdrops and sea will not be enough to make up for difficulties getting in supplies by land, which Israel heavily restricts.
While vast levels of suffering permeate Gaza, Netanyahu continues pushing for a ground invasion of Rafah, despite warnings that a ground invasion would devastate aid efforts. According to UNRWA, one in three children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished.
Palestinians in central Gaza perform a funeral prayer to those martyred in Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
A Palestinian youth described to QNN how he pulled one of his friends from the rubble of the strike, but still cannot find two other friends.
“We are alive and dead. I don’t know what to say.”
Sunday, March 17: Gaza Faces Famine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Gaza is facing famine and there had to be a rapid ceasefire agreement in the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), a crowd of Palestinians can be seen struggling to make the best of aid that has been dropped between buildings after being airdropped into Gaza.
“This isn’t an ordinary cucumber,” a Palestinian wrote in an Instagram post of a picture of a cucumber to tell their story. “This cucumber was smuggled with one of the truck drivers from the southern strip to the city of Gaza. My sister, Noor, was fortunate to receive it as a valuable gift from her husband’s friend. She then decided to gift it to our mother, who kept it for a day before sending it to my sister, Heba, who divided it into halves. She used half to make a salad and shared the other half with her neighbor.”
“Today, my nephew, Baraa, came to me,” the post continued. “[She] said, ‘Uncle, can I tell you a secret? Yesterday, we ate a cucumber.’”
Still, Netanyahu says he will press on with the military campaign.
A Palestinian man who is stranded outside of Gaza bids his children farewell, gazing at them for the last time through video call. The Israeli airstrikes have killed all three of his children, including an infant born during the war.
“Kiss them for me,” he says. “Kiss them for me.”
Monday, March 18: Israel Raids Al Shifa Hospital Again, Gaza on Brink of Famine and Experiencing “Catastrophic Hunger”
300,000 people trapped in Gaza’s northern two northern governorates face famine between now and May, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released on March 18. The number of people facing “catastrophic hunger” has risen to 1.1 million — about half the population of the Gaza Strip.
For the IPC to declare famine, at least 20% of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
In February, an event that has been dubbed the Flour Massacre occurred. Crowds surrounded a convoy of aid trucks and Israeli soldiers opened fire. Over 100 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach the aid convoy, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel has blamed most of the deaths on the crowds swarming the trucks, though an Israeli official said that troops had later fired on the crowds “in a limited response.”
Though aid efforts have persisted, the restrictions on bringing food in by road and the disorganization and violence surrounding aid that does get into Gaza means that the effectiveness of aid is reduced — and Palestinians continue to suffer in devastating amounts.
Israeli troops also conducted another raid on Al Shifa hospital, which is one of the only hospitals even partially operational in the northern part of Gaza. It is also housing hundreds of displaced citizens, many of whom took to social media to post their last words.
In a video posted by QNN, “sounds of gunfire are heard in the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli attack on the hospital and its vicinity.”
The Israeli military also released a statement saying, “Twenty terrorists have been eliminated at the Shifa hospital thus far in various engagements, and dozens of apprehended suspects are currently in questioning.”
Israel detained a number of journalists from Al Shifa hospital for twelve hours before releasing them. According to Al Jazeera reporter Ismail Al-Ghoul, one of the detainees, Israeli forces forced all journalists at the hospital to undress. He also reported that the journalists had been tied and detained before being interrogated, and were left without clothes for 12 hours.
Israel previously raided Al Shifa hospital in November 2023, severely damaging hospital infrastructure and leading medical staff to operate in candlelight and wrap premature babies in foil to keep them alive.
“For a lot of people, it’s already too late,” says Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director ad interim for Palestine. “It’s too late when mothers try to stop the cries of their hungry children, when people are reduced to eating animal fodder, and when we hear reports of children dying of malnutrition-related illnesses.”
“It’s not too late to prevent more suffering,” Hollingworth says. “A ceasefire is an absolute requirement. Without it more people will die — as a direct consequence of the violence, but also because of the direct attack on people’s health, well-being and ability to cope.”
“There’s a moral requirement for us to do something, when we see so many innocent people suffering,” he adds. “You’ve got to believe that by shouting on their behalf that somebody will hear and take action.”
How to Help Civilians Impacted by the War in Gaza
Use your voice for Palestine, whether that be protests, boycotts, raising awareness, donating, etc.
There are organizations working to provide aid to Gaza. A brief list and description of some of these groups are listed below. There are also ways to donate directly to Palestinians via sites like gofundme and paypal.
According to NPR, “the Federal Trade Commission recommends searching charities’ names alongside “complaint”, “review”, “rating”, and “scam”, to see if any red flags come up. Another red flag would be if their website doesn’t have detailed information about its mission and programs, or if you don’t get a receipt after donating.” Several websites like CharityWatch and Charity Navigator review track records of charities.
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: donations mean access to medical care, mental health support and essential supplies for kids in Gaza.
Anera: addresses the development and relief needs of refugees and others hurt by conflicts in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan.
eSims for Gaza: deliver eSims to people inside Gaza to allow them to communicate with the outside world.
Save the Children: disbursed $1 million from its emergency fund to help its teams respond to lifesaving needs in both Israel and Gaza “when it is safe to do so.”
UNICEF: are on the ground in Gaza delivering medical supplies and fuel, as well as mental health and psychosocial support.
Care for Gaza: supports displaced families in Gaza, team is located inside Gaza and distributes cash, food, and other supplies.
Pious Projects: helps create and distribute feminine hygiene kits for Gaza.
