'It became a cemetery': Three years on, Gaza remains in ruins

GAZA CITY: On the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Oct 7, Israel launched new strikes in Gaza, resulting in three reported deaths. The sound of explosions echoed across the border, coinciding with families gathering to mourn the 300 festival-goers killed in a bombing three years prior. In Gaza City, Al-Shifa Hospital reported two fatalities from an overnight Israeli strike.

The Palestinian Red Cross identified Mohamed Tamous, a civil defense volunteer, as one of the dead. The Israeli military stated they targeted and killed two Hamas fighters who had exited Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. One of the fighters, also a sniper, was planting explosives near the Yellow Line, dividing Hamas-controlled and Israeli-controlled territories.

Another victim, 60-year-old Hisham Ibrahim Abu Mustafa, was killed in Khan Yunis. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, Gaza remains in a dire state, with millions of displaced people living in makeshift shelters and tent cities. Israel controls about 60% of Gaza, while the majority of Palestinians reside in Hamas-controlled areas. Since the ceasefire, Israel's military actions have displaced nearly the entire population and resulted in over 74,200 deaths, according to Gaza's health ministry under Hamas authority.