“To wake up to a new day in Gaza means you’ve been born again. Every day that passes with you still alive, you’re born again,” Mu’taz Nassar said, describing the state of Gaza’s residents amidst the ongoing Israeli aggression, now in its 29th consecutive day.
The Israeli army has escalated its aggression, targeting hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, bakeries, and all economic institutions in Gaza.
On Thursday evening, Israeli forces bombed a house adjacent to the Al-Sharq Bakery in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of Gaza City.
A large number of citizens were waiting to buy bread. The blast killed and injured dozens, as confirmed by the Gaza Government Media Office.
Mohammed Shahab, a resident of the area, commented on the bakery bombing, saying, “They bombed Al-Sharq Bakery in Gaza, and people were buying bread.”
“We must document the events and not forget them. We should not become accustomed to these scenes of killing and bombing. We should not accept them. Speaking out and exposing the crimes of the Israeli occupation is the least we can do.”
“The bombing of the bakery is part of a plan to target the home front. Bread soaked in blood,” Hassan Adwan, another resident of the neighborhood, said, adding:
“UNRWA bears responsibility for the crowded lines in front of the bakeries. Flour should be distributed to families so people can bake their own bread in what remains of their homes. Why do the people of Gaza receive bread soaked in blood, bombardment, oppression, and destruction?”
Ghassan Makkadah, a Palestinian father, commented on the quest to find water and bread, saying, “After a long journey in search of drinking water, I returned empty-handed, and I couldn’t find water for my children in Gaza.”
Ahmed Saleh, a local journalist reported on the bombing of Al-Sharq Bakery, expressing his family’s loss: “My aunt, Nama Saleh, was killed in the targeting of Al-Sharq Bakery in the Al-Nasr neighborhood. Glory to our martyrs, and a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
With the bombing of Al-Sharq Bakery, the Israeli occupation has now completely destroyed 11 bakeries in the Gaza Strip. They included:
- Al-Yazji Bakery in Gaza City
- Al-Yazji Bakery in Gaza City
- Al-Yazji Bakery in Gaza City
- Ajur Bakery in Gaza City, As-Sadda branch
- Ajur Bakery in Gaza City, Al-Ghazali branch
- Khairat Bakery in Gaza City
- Haniya Bakery in Jabalia Camp
- Al-Waha Bakery in Jabaliya Camp
- Al-Nuseirat Central Bakery
- Al-Maghazi Central Bakery
- Al-Sharq Bakery
Additionally, dozens of other bakeries have been severely damaged.
The residents of the Gaza Strip rely on bread as a sole staple in their diet. The destruction of so many bakeries has resulted in the inability for Gazans to access the most basic food items.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a correspondent for The Palestine Chronicle in the Gaza Strip.