Beit Hanoun: A City Disappearing Beneath a Barrage of Israeli Fire Belts
Once home to over 60,000 people, Beit Hanoun is now a blazing wasteland after one of the most violent nights since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - In a scene resembling the end of the world, the city of Beit Hanoun, located at the far northern edge of the Gaza Strip, turned into a mass of flames and debris after Israel launched dozens of simultaneous airstrikes — one of the fiercest bombing waves since the war began on October 7, 2023.
Saturday night was unlike any other. The city, which had housed around 60,000 residents before the war, endured continuous and intense bombardment described by eyewitnesses as “the most destructive since the start of the aggression.”
The sound of explosions was heard in the heart of Gaza City, more than ten kilometers away, causing extreme panic among the population — especially children, who awoke to a red glow shaking the skies and deafening blasts rocking buildings.
A City Wiped Off the Map
Ahmed Riyad, a member of the Popular Committee in northern Gaza, reported that “Beit Hanoun no longer exists. All that remains is rubble and fires.”
He added in a press interview, “From northern Gaza, we can see flames rising from every corner of Beit Hanoun, with black smoke covering the sky. The scene is terrifying, unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
These attacks follow months of forced evacuation under relentless shelling and sniper fire, turning the area into a ghost town even before Israel’s full-scale destruction.
Aerial Boast and Accusations of Genocide
In a move that sparked international outrage and condemnation, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant shared an aerial image of the city showing the extensive devastation, proudly commenting that it had been “flattened,” in what observers saw as a blatant admission of a scorched-earth policy.
The post came amid growing global criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, with mounting accusations of genocide and grave breaches of international humanitarian law through the targeting of civilian infrastructure, markets, vital services, and residents.
Humanitarian Situation on the Brink
The bombardment of Beit Hanoun occurred amid a wider military escalation targeting Nuseirat, Khan Younis, and the Al-Daraj neighborhood, resulting in dozens of martyrs and injuries, including children and women.
In a related context, UN agencies warned that fuel and medical supplies in Gaza had reached critically low levels, as cases of severe malnutrition — especially among children — sharply increased.
In the face of rising death and destruction, Gazans continue to cry out from beneath the rubble: “We are human beings, not military targets.”
Beit Hanoun, once teeming with life, now stands as a bleeding witness to a merciless war — under a disgraceful international silence and complicity with crimes seen clearly by the world. (PW)
Source: Palinfo