"I'd built this house by sewing clothes and selling falafel," says Palestinian woman after Israel destroys her home

A displaced woman from Al-Shuja'iyya, whose house was bombed by Netanyahu's forces, shared her devastating story of loss amid Israel's military offensives in Gaza.

"I was enduring patiently. I sewed using the machine to provide education for my children, along with my husband. I sold falafel. I craved a bite in order to raise my children," she said in a video, recounting her efforts to build a future for her family.

"I built my house stone by stone. If I were to hold a stone and squeeze it, the stone would speak up and say Your blood, your children's and grandchildren's blood is in me."

However, her efforts were reduced to rubble when her eight-floor house in the Al-Mansoura street neighbourhood was bombed, leaving her without a home or choice.

A displaced woman from Al-Shuja'iyya in Gaza describes how she lost everything after her home, built stone by stone, was bombed. She recalls working tirelessly, sewing and selling falafel to provide for her children. pic.twitter.com/KDB2P0Mmow

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) September 10, 2024

"My whole life was lost trying to build a future for myself and my children. I have never in my life extended my hands to ask for money. I have never even taken a cooked meal from anyone. I can't even find a place [to stay]. I used to have a choice between my beds and sofas to sit in or houses to stay in. I did what I could do to provide apartments for my children but they are all gone," she lamented.

Israel's military offensives in Gaza since Oct 7 have resulted in devastating losses, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed, including 16,456 children and 11,000 women.

The United Nations (UN) reported that two-thirds of buildings across the Gaza Strip have been "damaged or destroyed." Israeli attacks have also killed at least 270 aid workers.

The restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies have exacerbated the situation in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) directed Israel to ensure basic services and humanitarian aid delivery in the besieged enclave.

The Palestinian government's information office reported that almost 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced due to relentless air and artillery strikes by the Israeli military.

Thousands of children in Gaza have been diagnosed with malnutrition, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

“A significant proportion of Gaza’s population is now facing catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom said on June 12 while talking to reporters.

Earlier, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) head Cindy McCain said people in Gaza are starving to death.

"The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying,” he added.

“To have 50 percent of an entire population in catastrophic, near-famine levels, is unprecedented,” Beth Bechdol, the deputy director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said.

The WFP estimated that around 1.1 million people are "struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation" due to Israel's severe restrictions on food, water, medicine, and fuel supplies to the besieged enclave.