For the first time since the start of the war on Gaza, Israeli forces began combat ground operations in Deir al-Balah on August 21, following enforced Israeli evacuation orders.
Around 100,000 Palestinians were forced to flee from the coastal palm-lined city in the space of two days, where nearly one million people are taking shelter.
Families had to quickly take off, leaving their shelters under heavy tanks and drone fire and had to spend the night on the beach or roadsides without belongings.
The Al-Dorra Stadium and the Palestine Technical College — the only standing stadium and university now left in the whole of Gaza — became shelters for the displaced population.
Salah al-Din street, the main road that runs north-south in the Gaza Strip and one of the oldest roads in the world, was taken over by the Israeli military a few days into their ground incursion.
Israeli tanks ruthlessly bombarded residential blocks along the road as airstrikes destroyed numerous structures and targeted civilians driving cars or shopping in public areas.
Humanitarian agencies such as the UN and WFP were forced to leave their makeshift headquarters in the city during the invasion, leaving thousands of residents without access to food and life-saving supplies.
Patients and medical staff from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital were also forced to leave as the hospital's surrounding buildings had been targeted multiple times in recent weeks.
Although Israeli forces withdrew troops on the eastern outskirts of Deir al-Balah on August 29, Apache, quadcopters, and tanks remained in the area, pounding the city — and this latest ground incursion caused panic and fear among scores of already traumatised people.
‘We are not safe anywhere’
Anas Daher, a 24-year-old nurse at the hospital, had to pack up his belongings and leave after the new orders.
“The bombings were relentless. There was a sniper nearby and we were frightened of being attacked again because we are simply not safe anywhere,” Anas tells The New Arab.
“Israeli forces can raid the hospital at any time and won’t be sanctioned or held accountable at all. This is what it has been doing since the genocide started,” the young nurse adds.
“Even if they withdrew, we still receive dozens of injuries per day, in addition to the hundreds of other cases, such as those suffering from malnutrition and other diseases. The bombardment continues and not all medical staff have been able to come back to work.”
Anas added that the situation was “catastrophic” and “terrifying,” forcing thousands of patients and other healthcare professionals to evacuate.
‘She will die if we evacuate the hospital’
Bashayer Obeid is in very critical condition at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Her house was bombed last March and she lost her entire family — the 17-year-old was the only survivor.
She has subdural haemorrhage and cut-deep wounds while suffering from severe malnutrition and can only survive under medical devices.
Her aunt Yousra Obeid, 56, has been accompanying and taking care of her since she was transferred to the hospital last March. But the latest evacuation orders have rubbed more salt into their wounds.
“Once we heard of Israel’s military ground operations in Deir al-Balah, we panicked and didn’t know what to do,” Yousra tells The New Arab.
“Patients were fleeing taking whatever they could with them. Bashayer needs perpetual and instant care. She will die if we evacuate the hospital,” Yousra explained.
“For us, we can’t and won’t leave. Her life means everything to us. I am displaced in a tent near the hospital. The sound of bombings over the night and shooting from Apache and quadcopters are traumatising and terrifying. We can’t bear it,” she adds, choking up with emotion.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital lacks medical supplies and devices, affecting Bashayer's health. Her relatives and doctors have been working on a permit to get her out of Gaza to receive treatment as almost all hospitals have been targeted by Israeli forces and the remaining ones are barely functioning. They hope the borders will re-open so they can save her life either way.
“It was a big relief for us when they completely withdrew. There’s absolutely no place to go. We’re trapped here. We will just be killed if they invade Deir al-Balah. I just pray for an end to this brutal war, so everything can become normal again. I can’t bear it anymore,” Yousra said, sighing.
‘The rubble of my house is still home to me’
Basel Abdul-Jawwad, who lives near Salah al-Din road, was wounded by a bomb that struck his home in the first days of the invasion.
The 24-year-old tells The New Arab that he was always scared of a ground invasion in the territory because it would mean first-time displacement for him.
“Our block, 128, was designated as a safe zone during the first days of the invasion. However, we could count 20 bombs per hour. Even though we weren’t ordered to leave, our house was struck by a bomb that injured me and damaged the house. I was rescued from under the rubble. I couldn’t see anything but just dust and rubble. I don’t how I survived,” he says.
“A day or so later, I tried to creep to the house to bring some of our belongings. However, I couldn’t at all as quadcopters were opening fire at everyone passing by. I just about survived. We’re trying to escape death every single second. It’s literally terrifying,” he recounted.
“I am so happy that Israeli forces completely withdrew and I was able to return home despite it being damaged. The rubble of my house is still home to me. I can’t accept the idea of being displaced because seeing people’s lives in tents is truly heartbreaking,” he told The New Arab.
“If this war doesn’t end, the full invasion of Deir al-Balah may be inevitable, leading to the death and displacement of thousands of more people.
“I can’t even fathom what this will be like. We just want this war to end now.”
Abubaker Abed is a Palestinian journalist, writer, and translator from Deir al-Balah Refugee Camp in Gaza, interested in sports and languages.
Follow him on X: @AbubakerAbedW