Israel's military campaign in Gaza has entered its seventh day. So far, the confrontation with Hamas has cost the lives of 10 Israelis. Palestinians are reporting that 145 people have died in the conflict, including 41 children.
Hassan Al Balaawi, a 52-year-old Palestinian from the Al Shati refugee camp located in the West of Gaza City, never thought he would lose his home twice.
Sense of Deja Vu
But the recent escalation, with Hamas, which controls the Strip, firing rockets at israel and the Jewish state retaliating, showed Al Balaawi that in an area that sees constant conflicts, history can easily repeat itself.
However, their relocation to Gaza city didn't put an end to Al Balaawis' suffering: on May 11, Israeli warplanes left him without a home once again.
That explosion was probably a warning sign by the IDF indicating that the building would soon be destroyed. What followed next was chaos. Al Balaawi, together with his family, rushed out of the house. So did his multiple neighbours, overwhelmed by panic and fear.
Once the building was totally evacuated, the IDF, says Al Balaawi, struck a second time. It took minutes to render the residential tower into a pile of rubble.
israel started its operation the Guardian of the Walls, after the militants of Hamas and other Islamic groups deemed terrorists by the Jewish state, launched a series of rockets into the Israeli territories, leaving the country paralysed and pushing many civilians to look for shelter.
Since last…
