Maghazi residents left reeling after Israeli forces withdraw

Central Gaza Strip – Palestinians in Gaza’s smallest refugee camp have once again found themselves digging the bodies of their relatives out from under rubble, hours after Israeli forces announced their withdrawal from the area.

Witnesses in the Maghazi refugee camp say many of the residents were shot at close range by Israeli soldiers “in cold blood”.

Piles of broken concrete and scenes of widespread destruction are evidence that homes were not spared in Israeli attacks, which included missile strikes and heavy artillery shelling.

Israeli soldiers have been conducting ground operations in northern, central, and parts of southern Gaza, for more than three months.

Maghazi camp has come under Israeli attack several times over the last few weeks.

In one of the deadliest attacks last month, more than 100 people were killed, mostly displaced women and children.

Dozens more have been reported killed in the camp in the past several days.

Ambulances have been unable to navigate destroyed roads and infrastructure in order to recover the bodies.

The camp normally houses about 30,000 people, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA).

But the population of the camp rose to at least 100,000 as thousands more frightened Palestinians came there seeking shelter from Israel’s relentless bombardment in other parts of the besieged enclave.

Attacks on refugee camps and civilian infrastructure have become common since October 7.

Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza have also been targeted several times, as well as the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

The attacks have killed thousands of Palestinian civilians.