By Ahmad Awad
Gaza City (EFE).- A truck carrying a row of corpses left Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for burial on Sunday morning. The victims were killed the night before in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attack on the Sabra neighborhood, which left 30 people from three families, including the Doghmush family, dead and another 50 buried under the rubble of their homes.
Said Doghmush, one of the survivors, sits on the stairs of Shifa Hospital. His face is wrapped in bandages covering a head wound; his eyes are red; and his arms and neck are scratched. Some of his relatives lie outside the hospital in black bags, surrounded by flies.
“We didn’t know anything about what was happening. First, we heard gunshots, so we went out and tried to find our people. We tried, but we couldn’t get through because of the fighting. They were shooting and throwing grenades, so we had to retreat and go home,” he told EFE on Sunday.
According to Doghmush, in the middle of the attack, which came without prior warning, there was a bombing. Five minutes later, the Israeli Army opened fire directly on the houses, including his and his neighbors.
“Everything was shocking. We didn’t understand what was happening until later. We heard explosions and gunshots, but we couldn’t reach our loved ones. Many of our relatives were in their homes,” he continued, looking exhausted.
Doghmush repeatedly asked, “Why?” and reiterated that he doesn’t understand what could have happened. He insisted that they attacked people who weren’t affiliated with any armed group. “They were just normal people. Some were drivers who transported aid.”
The Doghmush are one of the greatest clans in the Sabra neighborhood. Residents of the Gaza capital even accused them of collaborating with the IDF to combat Hamas.
Distraught men surround a truck carrying the bodies of the Doghmush people. Some stand next to the bodies, which are covered with colorful blankets.
In contrast, the Shifa courtyard is filled with women crying, hugging the shrouds of their loved ones, and, in the case of a baby’s body, opening it to caress its head. Some collapse from exhaustion. Others pray, looking silently at the sky. Most scream and seek support from those around them.
The attack ended the lives of about 30 people from the Doghmush, Hadad, and Mohsen families, while 50 more remain trapped. They are victims of the expansion of the ground operation.
On Sunday, the Israeli Army announced that one of its divisions had advanced deeper into the Gaza capital after two weeks of clearing the ground. However, they did not specify which areas.
“Forces from the 36th Division have begun to enter Gaza City as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, two weeks after increasing preparations for the new phase of combat,” according to a military statement.
Although the armed forces began the “initial phases” of the ground operation on Tuesday, it had mostly been limited until now to preparatory movements and the progressive advance of tanks.
Doghmush’s testimony, which includes close-range combat and grenade throwing, points to Sabra, in the heart of Gaza City, as the scene of the troops’ maneuvers.
Late Sunday afternoon, the Gaza Civil Defense emergency service denounced, “The (Israeli) occupation forces continue to refuse to coordinate the access of our teams to the area to carry out humanitarian interventions, rescue the injured, and evacuate those trapped.”
Spokesperson Mahmud Basal assured that they have received calls since Saturday night, warning that dozens of people are trapped in Sabra after the IDF destroyed their homes while they were inside. EFE
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