“I once met a fighter… on a battlefield”.. Displaced people refute Israeli claims

By Aseel J. Ghaben
In the early morning, 55-year-old Abu Ali wakes up to the sight of trees drenched in dew and bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun in the municipal public garden of Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. This garden has transformed into a refuge for displaced people from northern Gaza.
Dozens of tents of various colors are lined up neatly on both sides of the garden, with some trees separating groups of tents. At the center of the camp, there’s a large tent designated for men’s prayers, another for women, and an Al-Ihsan tent for teaching children.
These specialized tents were set up in response to Israel’s ground invasion of Al-Bureij in early February, under the supervision of Abu Ali.
Abu Ali, along with hundreds of others who mainly fled from Jabalia, Shuja’iya, and eastern areas of Al-Bureij camp, have been adjusting to their new life and neighbors in the public garden, now referred to as “the camp.”
His day begins by assigning tasks to the volunteer staff responsible for meeting the needs of the camp and its displaced residents.
I spent almost a day in this tent camp, observing the routine of the displaced people and speaking with some men, women, and children. I also asked them crucial questions, particularly about Israel’s claims that resistance fighters are hiding among civilians in displacement shelters.
Pure Civilian Life
“The water has just started flowing through the pipes; hurry up and get the buckets before it stops,” a volunteer calls out loudly, urging people to wake up and begin their usual routine of collecting water so that mothers can wash dishes and clothes.
A state of noise and bustle fills the area, with children running between the tents and around their fathers, whose primary task is to gather what they consider “potable water,” despite it coming from a damaged infrastructure.
Women emerge from the tents wearing prayer garments provided by humanitarian aid, yawning and greeting each other as if they had been apart for a long time.
Two hours before noon, some displaced volunteers collectively sweep the camp, clear fallen leaves, and trim the trees. This is a daily routine they enjoy, as they strive to keep the place as livable as possible.
At noon, the call to prayer echoes from the men’s tent. Everyone stops what they’re doing and rushes to the water pipe to perform ablution before it is turned off by the Israeli side, then heads to the prayer tent.
Next to the prayer tent, there is a small food distribution point where children and teenagers queue up after prayer, holding their plates to receive their share of lunch.
After many had filled their plates, I noticed a little girl, Sanaa, with green eyes and golden hair shining under the sun, still sitting nearby. She told me that this food point is her favorite place, not just because it fills her stomach, but also because it’s located under tall trees that provide shade, protecting her from the heat.
Sanaa and some other children had lived in the same neighborhood in Jabalia, from where their families fled together, heading south.
Yesterday, Om Mohammed gathered her daughters-in-law and visited her neighbor Om Adnan in her tent. The two had been neighbors in Jabalia camp, sharing the hardship of displacement through the Natzarim checkpoint, and now sharing it again in Al-Bureij camp.
Fighters Belong on the Battlefield
I visited Om Mohammed in her tent and talked to her for an hour about her journey from Jabalia to here, and how she feels living in the displacement shelter. More importantly, she shared her thoughts on Israeli lies.
Om Mohammed recounted that when she was still in Jabalia, Israeli soldiers invaded their neighborhood at dawn, arresting some young men and displacing the women along with some men to the south.
Om Mohammed added that when the soldiers entered their neighborhood, they ordered everyone to come out and demanded their surrender. They harshly insulted the men and dragged some of them away to unknown locations.
“Then they turned to us, the women, in anger and accused us of hiding Hamas fighters in our houses,” she continued.
“I swear, we had no fighters in our houses, nor do our children belong to any faction. We are pure civilians,” she fervently told a group of soldiers before they released her, her family, and the rest of the neighborhood residents to the south.
Om Mohammed said that on their way to the south, after crossing the Natzarim checkpoint where they endured horrific humiliation, they heard explosions and gunfire between the army and resistance fighters.
“Honestly, that was the only time I felt that fighters, may Allah protect them, were near us. They weren’t among us; they were on the Natzarim battlefield,” she proudly added.
When I asked her about her life specifically in this shelter in Al-Bureij, she said, “Families here have become familiar with their neighbors, knowing each other’s children, and are even aware of small details, including what they eat and what activities they enjoy.”
She strongly denied that any fighter was living among them in this public garden shelter, stressing, “Impossible. I told you, we all know each other. We know where we came from and where we are now. Everyone here has suffered the loss of a loved one or the demolition of their home.”
“Israel is built on lies and fabrications,” Om Mohammed’s daughter-in-law interrupted, confirming that a sadistic occupying power like Israel doesn’t need an excuse to commit more crimes and kill as many people as it wants.
No Armed Fighters in At-Tabi’en School
The two women frowned and knitted their brows, expressing deep sorrow as we discussed the At-Tabi’en school massacre, where around 100 Palestinian worshippers were murdered while praying at dawn.
Om Mohammed said, “Those villainous occupiers have been feeding on our blood since the establishment of their illegal state, and they shamelessly lie and mislead people.”
Abu Mohammed, whose three relatives were killed in At-Tabi’en, swore that all three were civilians, including a child.
“There are no fighters, my dear. This is a war on religion. They hate to see people worshiping their Lord because they believe these people will defeat them through their strong faith,” Abu Mohammed concluded.
On the 309th day of the Israeli genocide, a peaceful dawn prayer in At-Tabi’en school turned into a massacre as Israeli forces bombed the school, where thousands of displaced people were seeking refuge, with three missiles. Over 100 people were murdered, most of them torn apart, and dozens more were injured or missing.
The attack was carried out with three missiles, each loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives, according to Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director-General of the Government Media Office, who stated that the Israeli military is deliberately targeting civilians and condemned their narrative as a series of lies aimed at justifying the massacre.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said that nearly 90% of those praying in the school were murdered, with most injuries being critical.
Shehab News Agency interviewed many people in At-Tabi’en school, where the third-largest and deadliest massacre since the onset of the war occurred.
A Gazan man who took refuge in At-Tabi’en school after his house was bombed said, “I haven’t seen anyone with a weapon. We are here all day and night; all of us are mere civilians.”
Another displaced man criticized Israeli claims that there are fighters inside shelters, saying, “These claims are baseless. Everyone here is a civilian, mostly children and women.”
A woman broke her silence and asked, “Where is the international community and the UN? For God’s sake, protect us. What crime have the children committed to be injured while sleeping inside the school?”
A man displaced with his children in At-Tabi’en school also added, “I haven’t seen anyone armed, or anyone with even a stick. There is absolutely no one armed at our school. What is the fault of our terrified children?”