**DaysofPAL-** The residents of Beit Lahia, a town in northern Gaza, are once again facing the harsh reality of displacement as Israeli bombardments intensify in the area.
Since the start of the genocidal war in October 2023, families in Beit Lahia have been caught in a relentless cycle of destruction, forced to flee their homes repeatedly, only to return and find them reduced to rubble.
Jalil Marouf, a 40-year-old father of six from the Al-Sultan neighborhood in Beit Lahia, is among those who have been displaced multiple times. He now resides in one of the overcrowded displacement camps in central Gaza, where he struggles to set up a new tent for his family. Jalil vividly recalls the terrifying moments that preceded their latest escape. “We saw death with our own eyes,” he recounted to Palestine Online. “In the middle of the night, occupation aircraft bombed two nearby homes belonging to the Abu Halima and Nasr families. A massacre was committed there, killing 40 people, and the artillery never stopped shelling the area.”
Faced with no other option, Jalil fled with his family under a barrage of artillery shells and smoke that had not ceased since dawn last Tuesday. “We were living in a tent, and we had nothing to cry about, but even that tent is no longer safe,” he said, his voice heavy with grief. “If God had protected us, we would have been among the victims now.” Describing their current living conditions, Jalil added, “Now we live in a dilapidated tent, and the rain pours down on us all night. I remove the water that collects on the roof, but the cold is bitter. We just want a tent to protect us.”
Jalil’s story is not unique. Zaher Subaih, a resident of the Al-Amal neighborhood in Beit Lahia, has also recently arrived at the displacement camp with his wife and four children. He is searching for an empty spot to pitch a tent after being forced to leave his previous shelter due to escalating violence. “Leaving was not a choice; it was an escape from death under the relentless barrage of artillery shells,” Zaher explained, his voice weary. “We left because the shelling intensified, and shrapnel was falling on the tents, which did not protect us from the occupation’s missiles.”
Zaher described how fear and terror consumed his family during their escape. “We could not sleep all night because of the constant bombing. It was a cold and frightening night. We waited until dawn to be able to leave the place safely,” he said. Zaher, who suffers from chronic illnesses such as hepatitis and diabetes, noted how the ongoing displacement has worsened his health condition. Last November, the occupation destroyed his home and arrested him, deporting him to the southern Gaza Strip before he was able to return following a temporary ceasefire. “But now, despite everything, we find ourselves displaced once again, without shelter or security,” he lamented.
For Umm Iyad Ghabayen, a 67-year-old grandmother, the journey of displacement has become unbearable. Sitting beside her makeshift tent in the camp, she sorted through mallow leaves she had collected from the ground near her tent, attempting to prepare iftar for her fasting family. The bombing had given her no time to cook, forcing her to flee along with her husband, four sons, their wives, and their children.
Umm Iyad recounted the harrowing moments of their escape: “Suddenly, we heard the sound of bombing and the screams of children and women. The bombing of our area didn’t stop; we had no choice but to flee. We now live in a tent that doesn’t protect us from anything.” She bitterly described her ongoing journey of displacement: “We have been displaced many times since the beginning of the war, from Beit Lahia to Rafah in the south, then to Deir al-Balah, and from there to Khan Yunis. When we returned to our area, we found it razed to the ground. The occupation destroyed everything, turning our homes into piles of rubble.”
With a deep sigh, Umm Iyad continued in an exhausted voice: “We are so tired of being displaced. All we want is to settle down. We built our homes with the sweat of our brow; we worked hard for them for years, but the Israeli bombing destroyed them in an instant. The occupation left us with nothing. Nothing to cry about.”
The stories of Jalil, Zaher, and Umm Iyad reflect the immense suffering endured by the people of Beit Lahia and across Gaza. Each displacement brings worsening conditions—dilapidated shelters, biting cold, hunger, and constant fear—with no end in sight. For these families, the dream of returning to a stable and safe life seems further away than ever, as the scars of war deepen and the hope for peace fades.
As the bombardments continue, the human cost of the conflict grows, leaving countless families trapped in a cycle of destruction and despair. Their plight serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for international intervention to bring an end to the violence and restore some semblance of normalcy to their shattered lives.
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