"My Journey of Loss": Gaza Twin on Death of Mom, 14 Relatives & Continuing to Flee Israeli Bombs
Israeli forces began an escalated offensive in central Gaza today, with at least 75 people killed by airstrikes in the past 24 hours, as Israeli bombardment and shelling continue in the north and south, as well. There is no safe place in Gaza," says 19-year-old Helmi Hirez, who has been repeatedly displaced since October. Hirez was forced to flee from the north, where 14 members of his family were killed in an airstrike on his home in Gaza City. When he and his parents and siblings moved to Rafah, they were bombed and buried beneath the rubble, and his mother was killed. Now we are just squeezed in the middle," Hirez tells Democracy Now! as he recounts his story from where he is currently sheltering. This is just my continuous journey of displacement from one place to another, my continuous journey of loss."