News crews survey Gaza’s wasteland on bicycle after six months of war
DUBAI (Reuters) – Before the Gaza war erupted, the tiny enclave run by Hamas was impoverished and densely populated but full of life – restaurants, shops, makeshift soccer fields, universities, and hospitals.
Six months after Israel’s offensive began, Reuters cameramen took bicycle rides along its ruined streets to gauge the destruction left by Israeli airstrikes that have killed more than 33,000 people, according to Hamas, as the IDF tries to destroy the terrorist organization following Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel and massacre of some 1,2000 people.
The same scene played out on one road after another – pile after pile of rubble on each side of the strip, home to
2.3 million people who lack medicine, medical care, and food in a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Many live in shelters or tent cities after moving from one part of the enclave to another to try to escape the relentless bombardment.
Movement along its quiet streets is limited. There are few signs of life. Men drive by on a motorbike. A young boy pushes a wheelbarrow along a dirt road past obliterated buildings through clouds of dirt. A mosque was not spared destruction.
On another, a man walks along with a sack of flour on his shoulder. Food is scarce in Gaza, where Palestinians say attempting to secure supplies is a life-or-death scramble.
The United Nations has warned of a looming famine and complained about obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza. The US also says famine is imminent.
Israeli officials say they have increased aid access to Gaza, are not responsible for delays, and that the aid delivery inside Gaza is the responsibility of the UN and humanitarian agencies. Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing aid.
The cameramen on bicycles saw few signs of life in a sea of rubble. Two women walked with a young child. A few people sat under a colorful umbrella. Men moved along with a donkey on a cart. Burned-out cars stood on the edge of some streets.