Anera’s Situation Report from Gaza
by Anera
Our newest situation report comes one day after a ceasefire that ended three days of bombing in Gaza. Though the attacks were targeted, they led to many deaths and caused a lot of damage. They also ratcheted up the fear and trauma among Gaza’s residents, who are still coping with the aftermath of the May 2021 bombardment.
On Friday, August 5, Israel launched air strikes against Gaza, marking the beginning of the worst violence in Gaza since the May 2021 bombardment, which killed more than 260 and injured more than 2,000 Palestinians during 11 days. The current attacks targeted the Palestine Tower and the Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza City as well as Khan Younis and Rafah. The attack followed several days of tension between the Islamic Jihad (IJ) and Israel as a result of Israel’s arrest of IJ leader Bassam al-Saadi in Jenin. A few days before the airstrikes, Israel closed its crossings into Gaza, including the Karem Abu Salem commercial crossing, blocking fuel for Gaza’s only power plant from entering Gaza. The initial attack on the Palestine Tower apartment building killed 10 people – one of whom was an IJ leader and the youngest of whom was a five-year-old girl – and injured at least 55 more. Friday night, Israeli fighter jets continued to fly above Gaza City and carried out air raids in eastern Gaza. A spokesperson of the Israeli military told reporters that it hadn’t finished yet, and Israel announced the activation of 25,000 reserve troops. IJ responded to the attack by firing more than 100 rockets at Israel. To date, in Gaza, 1,675 housing units are partially destroyed, 68 housing units severely damaged, and another 18 housing units totally destroyed. Eighty-four families, or 451 individuals, are now internally displaced.
Take a look at the report to learn more about how the bombing campaign affected life in Gaza, what the needs are, and what kinds of things you can do by supporting Anera’s work there.
