Civilians suffer amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Gazans raced to stock up on food and find shelter, while Israeli hospitals were overwhelmed with the wounded, as the conflict threatened to escalate dramatically.

Long lines of Palestinians formed outside bakeries and grocery stores in the Gaza Strip before they opened, trying to buy food and supplies before supplies ran out.

Many others crisscrossed the rubble-strewn streets, carrying their belongings and seeking shelter, fearing Israeli bombs could fall at any moment. Tens of thousands crammed into UN-run schools.

The only power plant in the Gaza Strip ran out of fuel and stopped working on October 11, leaving only lights powered by personal generators.

"Hospitals in Gaza have also lost power, endangering the lives of newborn babies in incubators and elderly patients needing oxygen. Dialysis and X-ray services have been suspended. Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues," said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The threat of more than two million people in Gaza lacking food, clean water and basic services is growing as Israel tightens its blockade on the enclave. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said the Gaza Strip will be cut off from electricity, water and food or fuel supplies until more than 100 hostages held by Hamas are released.

Palestinians line up to buy bread in Gaza City on October 12. Photo: AFP

A surprise raid by the militant group Hamas on Israel over the weekend has plunged the Gaza Strip back into conflict, with more than 2,500 people killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to wipe out Hamas. Israel has called up 360,000 reservists, massed additional troops near the Gaza border and evacuated tens of thousands of residents from nearby communities.

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, said the force was focusing on eliminating senior Hamas leaders with precision airstrikes. Hecht said the strikes were based on intelligence and had been warned to civilians in advance.

Even with warnings, Gazans say some have been unable to hide or have nowhere to go amid the bombardment. Some even say there have been raids that went unwarned.

Hashem Abu Manea, 58, of Gaza City said he had received "no warning or anything" before the raid on the night of October 10, which collapsed his house and killed his 15-year-old daughter.

Palestinians carry their belongings through a damaged neighborhood after a raid in Gaza City on October 11. Photo: AFP

In Israel, people are still grieving and angry as more and more bodies are found in villages and towns ravaged by Hamas. They also live in constant fear as rockets are still fired from the Gaza Strip, causing sirens to sound continuously.

The largest hospital in southern Israel is overwhelmed with people injured in the conflict.

"As soon as we take a patient and transfer them to the operating room or intensive care unit, another injured person immediately takes their place. The floor of the emergency room is covered in blood. We have to constantly clean it," said Dan Schwarzfuchs, director of Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheba, Israel.

The hospital, located about 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, has received 870 wounded people. Doctors there have not been able to leave since the October 7 attack.

Not only are doctors and nurses straining to treat the injured, they also face constant requests for information from people searching for missing relatives.

"We try to help them as much as we can, but many people are left in a state of complete despair when they cannot find their loved ones," said Dr. Schwarzfuchs.

A military medical officer assigned to the hospital said he expected more difficult days ahead, as the Israeli army said it was awaiting orders to launch a major offensive into the Gaza Strip, where Hamas militants are entrenched. "There will definitely be more casualties, but we are ready," he said.

Thanh Tam (According to AP, AFP )

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