Fear of being forgotten Despair in Gaza as focus shifts away
The Guardian Weekly|October 18, 2024
As Israeli bombs began to fall across Lebanon, the scenes of bloodshed and chaos were grimly familiar to the people of Gaza. Mai al-Afifa, 24, was teaching a workshop about how to identify unexploded ordnance in a school turned shelter in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah last Thursday when an Israeli missile hit the next building in the compound.
Bethan McKernan
Fear of being forgotten Despair in Gaza as focus shifts away

Twentyeight people were killed and 54 injured, according to medics at the scene.

Through the smoke and rubble dust Afifa saw the body parts of two women and a male aid worker as she stumbled to safety. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas fighters using the school as a command centre.

"We are very sad about what is happening now in Lebanon... We have experienced this pain and loss," Afifa said. "But we also fear that Gaza will be forgotten: the massacres have increased here and no one is talking about it. All the TV channels are talking about the regional war, Iran, Israel and what is happening in Lebanon."

Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon at the beginning of October after two weeks of heavy airstrikes and targeted assassinations aimed at destroying Hezbollah's leadership and military capabilities.

Hezbollah had begun firing on Israel the day after Hamas's 7 October attack that triggered the new war, ostensibly in solidarity with the Palestinian group. Cross-border fire over the past year has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the blue line from their homes.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYView all
Friendship interrupted
The Guardian Weekly

Friendship interrupted

They were best mates. Then one had a baby, while the other struggled to conceive. They share their brutally honest takes on what happens when motherhood affects friendship

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 22, 2024
KERNELS OF HOPE
The Guardian Weekly

KERNELS OF HOPE

During the siege of Leningrad, botanists in charge of an irreplaceable seed collection, the first of its kind, had to protect it from fire, rodents-and hunger

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 22, 2024
A new horizon' The inverse link between cancer and dementia
The Guardian Weekly

A new horizon' The inverse link between cancer and dementia

Scientists have long been aware of a curious connection between these common and feared diseases. At last, a clearer picture is emerging

time-read
4 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Across the universe
The Guardian Weekly

Across the universe

Samantha Harvey won the Booker prize with a novel set in space. Yet, she says, Orbital is actually 'a celebration of Earth's beauty with a pang of loss'

time-read
4 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Frank Auerbach 1931 -2024
The Guardian Weekly

Frank Auerbach 1931 -2024

Saved from the Holocaust, this artist captured the devastation of postwar Britain as ifits wounds were his own but he ultimately found salvation in painting

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Seven lessons I've learned after 28 years as economics editor
The Guardian Weekly

Seven lessons I've learned after 28 years as economics editor

Margaret Thatcher was Britain's prime minister and Neil Kinnock was leader of the Labour party.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Droughtstricken dam leaves economies powerless
The Guardian Weekly

Droughtstricken dam leaves economies powerless

A ll is not well with the waters of Lake Kariba, the world's human-made lake largest A punishing drought has drained the huge reservoir close to record lows, raising the prospect that the Kariba Dam, which powers the economies of Zambia and Zimbabwe, may have to shut down for the first time in its 65-year history.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Let this be the end of these excruciating celebrity endorsements
The Guardian Weekly

Let this be the end of these excruciating celebrity endorsements

I wish celebrities would learn the art of the French exit. But they can't, which is why Eva Longoria has announced she no longer lives in America. \"I get to escape and go somewhere,\" she explained.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024
Alive, but unable to thrive under absolute patriarchy
The Guardian Weekly

Alive, but unable to thrive under absolute patriarchy

Since the Taliban returned to power, women and girls have tried defiance, but despair at their harshly restricted lives

time-read
4 mins  |
November 22, 2024
‘It's tragic’ Reflection in the wake of Amsterdam violence
The Guardian Weekly

‘It's tragic’ Reflection in the wake of Amsterdam violence

Carrying signs scrawled with messages urging unity, they laid white roses at the statue of Anne Frank, steps away from the home where her family had hidden from Nazi persecution.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 22, 2024