Eyewitness: Colossal Devastation Gaza

American war journalist Arwa Damon, reporting from Gaza, provides a glimpse into neighborhoods devastated by Israeli airstrikes. The videoclip underscores the dire living conditions faced by Palestinians who are now displaced and homeless.

The clip starts with scenes of the “enormous” levels of destruction of the multi-story buildings. What is the size of bombs that did this the reporter asks.

She is taken on a tour of the wreckage. “This is how people live,” the man said.

“I was going to say. Is this how you are living, amidst the rubble? Damon asks.”

“Yep, this is how we live?”

“This was my parents house,” now of course it’s in absolute wreck.

“This is just beyond the scope of comprehension,” the reporter says.

“We used to sleep here,” one little girl says. “When the Israelis bombed the house, my uncle was martyred, his four sons were killed and so my maternal uncle was martyred as well,” she added.

“We were all inside the house and buried under the debris but thank God we were brought out alive, we were injured but now we are ok.” She pointed out about 10 people were killed in that strike.

“In this block of houses between 87 and 90 people were killed here because of the Israeli bombing,” said another eyewitness.

“A whole neighborhood caved in because of the intensity of the bombings with tower blocks going down… and this is not to say anything about the many people who are still deeply buried under the rubble…which we can get them out.

All of the areas in Gaza that were invaded by Israeli occupation forces have been left unrecognizable, as Israel systematically detonated residential blocks and destroyed critical infrastructure, preventing Palestinians from returning and rendering them completely uninhabitable.

Damon who is the founder of the International Network for Aid, Relief, and Assistance (INARA), observed during her recent trip to Gaza City to distribute aid, “I saw how widespread the destruction is of every single aspect of life that would make the Gaza Strip inhabitable.”

Damon described the scene in Gaza City, saying, “Residents could not recognize the streets or the main thoroughfares because of the level of destruction.”

According to the Israeli  Yedioth Ahronoth the Israeli army has demolished more than 35,000 permanent buildings and 84,000 temporary buildings in Gaza since the beginning of was on Gaza after 7 October 2023.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Palestinian Journalists Under Attack – 55 Israeli Violations in May

The Palestinian Journalists Association (PJA) announced, Monday, it documented 55 violations by Israeli occupation soldiers against Palestinian journalists in last May. It described such violations are part of a  systematic policy to restrict and prevent West Bank and Gaza journalists to carry out their professional duties.

The PJA’s Freedoms Committee said in a press statement to Quds Press the Israeli occupation continues its violations against journalists and media workers to limit their ability to report the truth and document attacks and violations against Palestinians.

The documented violations during May included two injuries from live ammunition while covering events in the field, two arbitrary arrests, and 30 cases of detention and prevention from working and covering events.

The committee also recorded five cases of direct gunfire directed at journalists, five attacks using tear gas and stun grenades, in addition to two cases of confiscation of journalistic equipment and two cases of physical assault on journalists.

The violations include two cases of journalists being barred from covering news at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, one of a media outlet being raided and shut down, another of a journalist being brought before a court and three cases of journalists summoned and interrogated.

The committee affirmed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and international covenants on freedom of opinion and expression, which stipulate the protection of journalists while performing their professional duties in conflict zones.

It added that the escalating targeting of journalists reflects a systematic approach aimed at restricting media coverage and preventing the dissemination of information about the reality and violations suffered by the Palestinian people. The committee noted that the occupation continues to use various means to suppress media work and obstruct the public’s access to information.

The Committee for Freedoms called on international human rights and media organizations, as well as the United Nations, to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities, pressure the occupation authorities to cease their ongoing violations against Palestinian journalists, hold those responsible accountable, and provide the necessary protection for media workers.

The PJA announced last May it documented nearly 300 Israeli crimes, violations, and attacks against Palestinian journalists since the beginning of 2026 and the trend is set to continue judging from the scale of esclation against media workers.

The press association indicated at the time the number of journalists killed reached 262 since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, including 261 journalists murdered in the Gaza Strip, in addition to six journalists killed since the beginning of 2026.

This comes at a time when Israeli attacks against Palestinians continue in various areas, amid increasing complaints about the targeting of journalists, the obstruction of their work, and the prevention of their coverage of events on the ground and their reporting to the public.

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