What are the common people in Gaza saying about Israel’s response? “We are completely shocked by the damage,” they remark

No street has been spared destruction, according to a local resident, as Israeli strikes continue.

Israel has demolished or damaged more than 400 sites in Gaza since the start of its ‘Iron Swords’ operation on Saturday. There have been over 300 Palestinian deaths, many of whom were unarmed citizens. At least 1,990 people have been hurt.

Sanaa Kamal, a Gaza native and local journalist, has witnessed and documented a number of clashes between Israel and the various Palestinian military forces. However, she asserts that she has never witnessed more destruction than that caused by Israel on Sunday as a result of dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrating Israel’s southern neighbourhoods.

More than 500 people have been killed so far at the hands of Palestinian extremists, according to government statistics. More than 1,900 other people have been hurt, and 100 are reportedly being detained inside Gaza by Hamas, a group that Israel views as terrorists.

“We are utterly appalled by the harm Israel has done. There isn’t a single street in Gaza that is still standing. Every avenue and corner have been harmed or ruined. Some of them had only recently been rebuilt, but they are once again in ruins, she claimed.

More than 400 sites have been hit by Israeli strikes since Saturday, according to Israel, all of which are ‘related’ to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This in and of itself is not exceptional. The homes of senior Hamas commanders and political figures have also been targeted this time, letting the organisation know that their whereabouts are well known. In addition, the IDF has been bombing the exclave’s infrastructure, such as mosques, homes, roads, banks, and hospitals.

Kamal claims that the intense barrage has kept her from disconnecting and that she hasn’t slept. She acknowledges that she and those close to her are concerned that they could add to the long list of Palestinian casualties.

She is not the only local who is alarmed by what she observes. Maram Faraj claims that she was unable to sleep as well because she was plagued by nightmares involving her missing journalist friend.

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“To give better footage, my companion entered one of the Israeli settlements together with Hamas militants. I haven’t heard from him since, and we believe that he was killed along with other operatives by the Israelis, according to Faraj, who spoke to RT.

More than 300 Palestinians have already died in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Over 1,990 people have suffered injuries. Many of victims, according to Hamas, were civilians who were buried in the debris.

Who is at fault?
Kamal accuses Israel’s “stubborn” leadership for refusing to make compromises to the Palestinians and for failing to put an end to the protracted conflict as she surveys the devastation around her. She does, however, criticise Hamas for subjecting the Palestinian populace to yet another hardship.

The Islamic organisation has engaged in a series of violent conflicts with Israel since taking over Gaza in 2007. The exclave has suffered irreversible harm from all of them. Operation Protective Edge, the bloodiest of all, claimed more nearly 2,000 Palestinian lives in 2014. However, Kamal worries that things will only become worse and that more people may become involved.

“We will witness more civilian casualties on both sides if the two sides do not sit down for dialogue soon. And for this reason, we require Arab and European negotiators to exert the greatest amount of pressure to halt hostilities.

A delegation from Egypt travelled to Israel on Saturday to begin talks as soon as possible. There are also other mediators, such as Qatar and some European nations. Both sides promise to harm their adversary, but so far their efforts have not been successful.

Israeli experts believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to battle until all of his objectives are met may entail a ground invasion after all pockets of militants in the southern communities have been eliminated. Hamas, which claims that the struggle against “the occupation” has just begun, is also not shown any signs of giving in.

“Here in Gaza, I am hearing experts saying that Hamas has planned [the attack] to abort the … normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” stated Kamal.

“I’m not sure if this is accurate. But because we all share this region and need to get along, I favour this normalisation, and even more so, I support normalising Palestinian relations with Israel, she added.

Faraj shares Kamal’s perspective on coexistence. She claims that in order to establish an accord, all parties must take a deep breath, sit down for discussions, and exchange detainees. This scenario, however, appears to be nowhere in sight as the battle continues and Israel formally declares war, moving thousands of troops, aircraft, and military supplies closer to the Gaza border.