Gaza’s New Year: A Struggle for Survival, a Cry for Justice

QNN TeamDecember 31, 2024
3 minutes read
While fireworks illuminated skies elsewhere, Gazans huddled in makeshift shelters under a sky filled with death, battered by relentless rain and bitter cold.

As the clock struck midnight, marking the new year of 2025, Gaza remained enveloped in darkness, not from celebration, but from grief and loss. While fireworks illuminated skies elsewhere, Gazans huddled in makeshift shelters under a sky filled with death, battered by relentless rain and bitter cold. A winter storm added another layer of hardship to a population already reeling from genocide and displacement.

Dr. Yahya Al-Sarraj, Gaza’s mayor, addressed the people with a message of resilience. “Despite the oppression, destruction, and endless suffering, we send a message of love and hope for a brighter future,” he said. Yet, for many, hope felt like a distant dream.

Asmaa Mughai, a grieving mother who lost her two children to Israeli airstrikes, expressed her sorrow on social media. “Do you know, my dear children? Many others have been killed since you left. The blood of Gaza’s children remains permissible. I write not for the world but for you and for God.”

“Peace to our children who were killed by missiles, by hunger, by displacement, by the cold, and by the scorching heat, under the watchful eyes of a so-called “humane” world that now celebrates a new year, joyful and serene, with hands untainted by their blood”, she wrote. Her words echoed the pain of thousands who started the year mourning their loved ones, reflecting on a world celebrating while Gaza burned.

Israel Starts the New Year Bombing Gaza

The early few minutes of 2025 brought more destruction. Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple areas in Gaza, including Khan Younis, Rafah, and Al-Bureij refugee camp. Homes were reduced to rubble, and families were left searching for survivors in the debris. In Jabalia, a residential block was hit, leaving several injured, including children.


In the central Gaza Strip, artillery fire rained down on Nuseirat, intensifying the already dire humanitarian crisis. Displaced families, many of whom had already lost their homes in previous attacks, found themselves exposed to freezing temperatures and heavy rain.

The storm compounded the crisis. Flooded shelters and sewage spills from damaged infrastructure created health hazards, particularly for children. Seven people, including five children, had succumbed to the freezing conditions, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Journalist Anas Al-Sharif captured the somber mood, saying, “In Gaza, the sound of fireworks is replaced by the terrifying roar of missiles. The world celebrates, but here, we survive.”

Protests Against Genocide Mark the New Year

While Gazans faced bombs and storms, solidarity protests erupted worldwide. In Jordan, crowds gathered near the US embassy, demanding an end to Israel’s genocide. In Dublin, despite freezing rain, demonstrators vowed to stand with Palestine until the bombings cease.

In Turkey, Diyarbakır entered the new year by marching for the people of Gaza and chanting for the resistance. Turkish civil society organizations also announced that they will hold a demonstration in Istanbul on .the first day of the new year to show solidarity with Palestine. Hundreds of thousands are expected to walk from historic peninsula mosques after early morning prayers to converge at the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn, to protest.

Social media amplified voices of solidarity. Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, wrote, “Lower the noise of your fireworks. Around you, an entire people is being exterminated without mercy.”

This New Year, while the world celebrated with joy, Gaza marked it with mourning and protest. Their message to the world was clear: Gaza will not be silenced, and the fight for justice continues.

QNN TeamDecember 31, 2024
3 minutes read

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