In Gaza, a sorrowful procession passed as Maghazi lay in ruins following the devastating Israeli airstrike. Palestinian health officials reported at least 70 casualties, many of them women and children. For the people of Gaza, it was one of the deadliest nights in Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The horrific sights at the funeral are pitiful scenes of Palestinians lamenting their families and white shrouds on lifeless bodies. Grief was everywhere you looked like families struggled to comprehend the misfortune that had befallen them, and one man carrying a dead child symbolized the tragedy.
One haggard man described: “The wall and the curtain fell on us.” The airstrike destroyed the homes of many, leaving them homeless and sheltering in this sea of dementia.
The Israeli strikes began hours before midnight and continued into the next day. An intensive shelling campaign of central Gaza by air and ground has worsened the humanitarian crisis, According to Palestinian media. Some of the victims were women and children, said health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qadri
That is causing enormous damage to civilian life. Pope Francis, in a Christmas message, denounced the bloodshed as it relates to children like Gaza. He calls them the little Jesuses of today. And he denounces the Israeli bombs that reap an appalling harvest of innocent lives.
Even amidst the current hostilities, some of Gaza’s tiny Christian population was able to celebrate Christmas last week, taking a brief hiatus from the conflict. Nevertheless, this festive spirit was overshadowed by the ongoing turmoil.
The Israeli army said it would go over what happened at Maghazi and reaffirmed its desire not to hurt civilians. In the meantime, meanwhile, Hamas denied charges that it works in crowded areas or uses civilians as live human shields.
The Palestinian Red Crescent published a report detailing the problems encountered by emergency services, noting how Israeli warplanes hampered roads vital to ambulance movement.
Cutting a swathe Despite diplomatic efforts sponsored by Egypt and Qatar to find new terms for an armistice, the conflict continues. On both sides, the price keeps rising. The United Nations has described conditions in Gaza as catastrophic.
The conflict has continued in defiance of international calls for de-escalation, leaving the civilian population trapped in a humanitarian catastrophe.
As this tragedy continues to unfold, the people of Gaza live under the shadow of death. It has no boundaries, whether they be Muslim or Christian, Palestinian or Arab Jew.
They hope for a bit lighter in darkness by fire and smoke. The international community observes with growing alarm, demanding an end to the suffering in this troubled region.
