Israeli bombs, fire turn Gaza's night into day

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said Saturday they lived a night that felt like a “real Holocaust” because of the “incendiary phosphorus” bombs dropped by Israel on Gaza City and the northern Strip.

The night turned into an orange day because of the intense Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.

"The night has turned into a crematorium. Phosphorus was burning everywhere," Abdul Hakim Khaled told Anadolu.

“The families lived in a state of terror,” he said. “The sounds of the bombing were everywhere as if an earthquake was hitting Gaza, followed by balls of flame."

Hind Al-Masry, stunned by what happened, told Anadolu that “Gaza experienced a real holocaust, turning night into a terrifying day.”

“The sky turned orange, phosphorus bombs were everywhere, flames in buildings and lands, and smoke rising from all over. We went from one house to another and there was no safe place,” she said.

An Anadolu's correspondent in Gaza, who witnessed what he described as “the Resurrection night,” confirmed that "columns of smoke rose from between houses and residential buildings, their dust mixed with balls of flame and burning phosphorus."

“We lived through one of the most violent nights since the war started,” he said.

“Residents were busy at night moving their families between the alleys to escape the phosphorus,” he said. "The sky was a mass of flames, bombing was everywhere. We miraculously survived.”

The Israeli army committed a massacre by bombing an entire residential square in the Beach Camp, in which about 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

He said the bombing was concentrated in the vicinity of Al-Shifa and Al-Indonesian Hospitals, and targeted homes, government headquarters and empty lands.

Amnesty International confirmed that Israel used white phosphorus bombs in bombing the Gaza Strip, which is crowded with civilians.

The Israeli army on Friday widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a surprise offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.

International aid agencies said they lost contact with staff in Gaza after Israel knocked out internet and communications.

The conflict escalated dramatically after the unprecedented attack involving rockets and sending hundreds of fighters into Israeli towns.

At least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Some 70% of the Palestinian deaths are women and children, according to official figures.

The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water and medicine due to Israel’s massive air bombardment and total blockade of the enclave.

The UN General Assembly demanded an immediate humanitarian truce, with 120 nations voting for a resolution put forward by Jordan.

Israel, however, rejected it.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi