‘Gaza na just graveyards wey scatter everywhere’
On 7 October 2023, Hamas bin launch one uncommon attack for southern Israel – wey kill mostly civilians and take 251 hostages.
Dis bin spark di all-out war between Israel and Hamas, e dey described as one of di deadliest for recent history of di region.
BBC News don dey collate data throughout di war and tok to some of those wey dey affected by di fght-fight – to reveal di stories wey dey behind di numbers.
Fatma Edaama and her family don always live for northern Gaza. Dem don witness months of killing, destruction and hunger.
Fatma describe her living conditions as “humiliating and disgraceful”.
She feel as if say she bin don dey deep coma for one year and say she go wake up one day and see di Gaza wey she once sabi – “beautiful and lively”.
Fatma dey hopeful. “We go rebuild am and bring am back to life,” she tok wit determination.
Life and death in Gaza
For Ashraf al Attar, di war don change im life forever.
Ashraf dey work as nurse for di European Hospital for di southern city of Khan Younis.
E bin tell di BBC say dem kill im wife and six children for one Israeli strike on Deir al Balah for central Gaza, “for matter of seconds, all at once”.
Ashraf wife Hala na United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) worker.
Dia eldest son, Ihsen, na15 years old. Im youngest child – one daughter wey dem dey call Wateen na just 20 months old.
Ashraf and Hala also get quadruplets – two boys and two girls – age 10. Ashraf and Hala use to refer to dem all as “gifts of God”.
Di Israeli army no really dey comment on individual strikes, and so no immediately provide informate about di attack wey kill Ashraf family for di early morning of di 18 August.
One statement dem release one day later say di military don carry out one operation for di outskirts of Deir al-Balah wit di aim to “eliminate terrorists and destroy combat compounds above and below ground”.
Hala and her six children na just one few of di more dan 40,000 Palestinians dem kill since di start of di war for Gaza.
E also don get spike for violence for di occupied West Bank since 7 October.
As of 23 September 2024, di UN tok say di 693 Palestinians dey killed for di occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Dis include 676 pipo wey dey killed by Israeli forces and 12 by Israeli settlers.
Israel tok say di raids on di West Bank aim to stem deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis for di West Bank and Israel. Di current Israeli goment don oversee expansion of illegal settlements dia.
Palestinians dey fear say di right-wing Israeli goment dey work to make settlements for di West Bank irreversible.
Di situation for Israel
Di October 7 attack, wey dey considered di deadliest for Israeli history, bin kill more dan 1,200 pipo – as per di latest figure wey di Israeli authorities give for early November 2023.
For November 2023, di BBC bin collect evidence wey show say five armed Palestinian groups bin join Hamas for di October 7 attack on Israel, afta dem train togeda for di military-style exercises from 2020 onwards.
On di same day Hamasa and related group bin take 251 pipo hostage into Gaza.
Over di past year some of those hostages don dey released, one number of dem through diplomatic negotiations and some during military operations.
Yarden Bibas, wey be 34 years along wit im wife, Shiri and dia two children dey among those wey Hamas bin take hostage.
On di 29th of November 2023, Hamas bin claim say Shiri and her two children don dey killed for one Israeli air strike for captivity. Di Israeli goment don tok say dem dey check di claim.
Orfi Bibas Levy na Yarden sister. She dey distressed about di fate of her brother and im family, but still hopeful say dey still dey alive.
She tok say she no dey sure how long dem fit survive for captivity – wey she describe as “inhumane”, especially for children wey dey dia age.
Orfi bin tell di BBC say she dey“struggle to keep di faith”.
Hamas sieze Ada Sagi, one 75-year-old Israeli peace activist from her home on di Nir Oz kibbutz on 7 October and dey hostage for Gaza for 53 days.
She be one of 105 Israeli hostages wy dem release during one precarious week-long ceasefire from 24 November 2023.
Di exchange bin also include 240 Palestinian prisoners wey dey released from Israeli jails.
“I no believe in peace now,” she tok.
Further diplomatic efforts to stop di war don fail so far.
Gaza population on di move: nowhere dey safe to go
As of 30 September 2024, di UN estimate di population of Gaza to be around 2.1 million. Ninety percent of dem don dey displaced.
Throughout di year of war di Israeli army don issue evacuation orders, wey direct pipo to designated “safe areas”.
One UNICEF report for August 2024 tok say 1.7 million pipo for Gaza dey directed to one area of 48 square kilometres. Dis create one population density of more dan 35 thousand pipo for each square kilometre.
Njoud Abu Kaloub, wey 31 years, one of those wey dey estimated 1.9 million displaced pipo Gaza.
Njoud and her four children had to move 11 times becos of di Israeli evacuation orders or strikes
At times, dem dey also run from overcrowding and disease.
Now she dey live for makeshift tent for Al-Mawasi, one sandy desert area for Khan Younis.
Bifor e bin first be safe zone according to wetin Israel tok but e later dey attacked. Njoud no plan to move again.
Like many of di displaced pipo for Gaza, Njoud Abu Kaloub no get anywia to return to wen is war end.
For March dis year, UN experts bin tok say more dan 70% of all homes for Gaza don dey damaged or destroyed since di beginning of dis war.
Just inside di first six days of di war, di Israeli air force don drop more dan 6,000 bombs on Gaza.
Di Israeli operation for Gaza bin start for di northern part of di strip and move across di map below until e reach Rafah on di border wit Egypt, cause big damage throughout.
By early July 2024, di UN bin estimate say more dan 40 million tonnes of debris don gather from di destruction of structures for Gaza.
Dis equal to each square meter of land for Gaza wey dey covered by 115 kilograms of debris.
Di UN estimate say e fit take 15 years and over 500 million dollars to clear di rubble wey pose one deadly threat for pipo of Gaza as e fit carry unexploded ordnance and harmful substances.
“E go take at least until 2040 to bring back only di housing units wey don dey completely destroyed during di war” dis na “under optimistic scenarios” wey dey assessed by di UN Development Program for dia report back in May 2024.
Aseel bin lost her brother in dis war. Her mama get cancer and her family attempts to send her out of Gaza for treatment never succeed.
Her papa dey suffer from one serious kidney condition.
On difficult days, she feel say she no get nothing left to live for, she bin tell di BBC.
On more optimistic days, Aseel tok say all she dey wish for na treatment for her mama and papa and to dey able to leave Gaza to reunite wit her fiancé for Cyprus wen di war end.
To find way to end di war wit one lasting ceasefire – though desperately hope for by those wey di conflict affect- dey become increasingly difficult .
Di situation instead dey grow more complex and violence dey rapidly escalate, spread across di Middle East.
