At dawn on October 7, 2023, Nahed Shuheibar drinks coffee with his children, after praying, on the balcony of his large house, overlooking the most beautiful beach in Gaza, at the northern end of the enclave. At the same time, Amal Nassar, six months pregnant, chats with other school teachers on a bus heading to Rafah, on the southern border. Near the hut where he spends most of his nights, in Beit Hanoun, Ahmad Al-Kafarneh already works in his father’s olive groves. From the top of a small limestone cliff, the view stretches beyond the concrete walls surrounding northern Gaza, towards the Israeli villages of Netiv Haasara and Zikim.
Suddenly, a rocket roars over the roof of Shuheibar’s house and heads straight for the sea. “I was wondering if Hamas was testing a launch pad. Then a second rocket exploded, then a third and a fourth…”says this businessman and clan leader, contacted by phone, like all those interviewed for this article, since Israel has banned international media from going to Gaza for a year. On her bus, Amal Nassar also hears Hamas shots. “Residents of eastern Rafah were fleeing away from the border. I was afraid for my children, I called my husband to ask him not to send them to school. »
Ahmad Al-Kafarneh, from his hill, understands very well what is happening. He is used to encountering Hamas militants in their fields hunting desperate Gazans trying to flee the enclave. “After the first rocket explosions, armed men crossed the border, by car, on motorcycle and even on foot. »remember. These militants are heading towards the Israeli military terminal of Erez, the northern gate of Gaza, whose anti-explosion walls are silhouetted behind a tin village, a corn field and a no man’s land. “We were sure that the Israelis would shoot and kill them. “We ran to take refuge in the town.”says Ahmad.
“People were reporting crazy rumors”
Nahed Shuheibar ran to the Beit Lahya market: “I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew it would be serious and that we needed to stock up on food. People were telling crazy rumors… And then, shortly after 6:30 am, I saw some guys [du Hamas] They were driving towards the border and it surprised me, because they were not afraid to show their faces: they were not even wearing masks. »
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