“I collected my son’s remains from the streets” – A mother’s cry in Gaza as Netanyahu hints at escalation
In Gaza, war and suffering intersect in their most harrowing form. The grief of a mother who gathered the remains of her son from the street captures the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe, one that is drowned out by the noise of escalating military threats.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens with each passing day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints at a broader military operation in Gaza, ignoring calls from former leaders of the Israeli military and intelligence services to end a war that has dragged on for 22 months.
These former officials — including ex-heads of Shin Bet, Mossad, and the army, as well as former Prime Minister Ehud Barak — recently appeared in videos denouncing the government’s strategy. They accused the far-right leadership of holding Israel hostage to prolong the conflict and called Netanyahu’s objectives in Gaza “pure fantasy.”
Meanwhile, tragic images emerge daily. A young girl stands beside the body of a loved one killed while searching for food. Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to discuss the next phase of the war, raising the possibility of more severe military action. However, the meeting concluded without any official announcement.
Netanyahu reiterated that his goals include defeating Hamas, securing the release of the 50 remaining hostages, and ensuring Gaza can no longer threaten Israel following Hamas’s 2023 attack that triggered the war.
But tensions within Israel’s security leadership are mounting. Local media report a rift between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who opposes a full takeover of Gaza. Such a move, according to critics, would endanger hostages, worsen the humanitarian crisis, and deepen Israel’s international isolation.
Amid growing desperation, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announced an agreement with local traders to gradually allow goods to enter the besieged enclave.
Yet the situation remains dire. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 61,000 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023. Desperate civilians continue to die while seeking aid. On Tuesday, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians gathering near distribution points, killing at least 45 people — 26 of them in the Morag corridor, a military zone between Rafah and Khan Younis.
Eyewitnesses, local health officials, and the UN confirm that hundreds have been killed in recent months while trying to access food. Sami Arafat, a father of seven, described the chaos at Morag, where people rushed toward UN aid trucks as Israeli forces opened fire. “There’s no shelter, no buildings, just ruins,” he said.
Looters with knives climbed the trucks first, tearing open boxes and stealing sugar, which they could sell, leaving behind cheaper goods like rice. Mohammed Qassas from Khan Younis said his children were so hungry he had no choice but to raid the trucks: “If we fight, we eat. If we don’t, we starve.”
Men now return from food distributions carrying corpses and sacks of flour. Aid agencies say Israeli measures to ease aid entry remain grossly inadequate. Hunger and despair are rampant. Gaza teeters on the brink of famine.
Meanwhile, hostage families worry that their loved ones are also starving in captivity. They blame Hamas for their suffering.
Among the many heart-wrenching testimonies, one stands out. Ikram Nasr’s son was shot while seeking aid near Morag. “I had to go alone to carry my son,” she sobbed to the Associated Press. “I collected his remains from the streets like dog meat. The whole world is watching — watching our patience, our strength, our faith in God. But we can’t take it anymore.”
