Palestinians recall "hellish" night after Israeli airstrikes ravage Gazan camps

GAZA - Palestinian refugees in Gaza endured a night of horror on Christmas Eve as Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas, killing and wounding many.

Residents of al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip told Xinhua that they fled their homes at dawn on Monday after a "hellish night."

Islam al-Hamid, a 40-year-old mother of three from al-Maghazi, said the Israeli military warned them to evacuate the camps days ago as part of its campaign against Hamas, however, she did not expect such heavy attacks on those who were reluctant to be displaced.

"My family and I were all wounded," she recalled, adding "when a man took me out of my house, I saw many bodies lying on the ground."

Al-Maghazi camp is one of the smallest refugee camps in the Strip, both in terms of size and population. It is characterised by its narrow alleys and high population density, with about 27,000 people inhabiting an area not exceeding 0.6 square kilometres.

Khalil Al-Dakran, a spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital, said at least 95 people, mostly children and women, were killed or wounded by the attacks in Al-Maghazi.

The Palestinian Civil Defence said many victims were still under the rubble as they were short of rescue equipment. What's worse was that Israeli airstrikes on main roads blocked the access of ambulances and civil defense vehicles.

Mahdi Manasrah, a resident of the al-Bureij camp, lost about 30 relatives in an Israeli strike on his neighborhood.

"We are all civilians who used to work inside Israel. It seems that all the Palestinians are under Israeli attacks now," he said.

The Gaza media office said more than 50 Israeli airstrikes hit the al-Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and al-Maghazi camps over the night before Christmas.

The UN humanitarian office warned of the dire situation, citing widespread open defecation and the risk of disease outbreaks, especially in bad weather.

About 1.9 million people, or 85 per cent of Gaza's population, are displaced, facing worsened living conditions, protection and mental health issues, and disease transmission.

Gaza, under siege and bombardment since Oct 7, has seen at least 20,674 Palestinians killed, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Monday.

Israel said the escalation was a response to a Hamas operation that killed about 1,200 Israelis and captured more than 200, according to Israeli reports. - XINHUA