'Genocide stopped only in media': Gaza endures daily bombings a month into truce

A month into the ceasefire in Gaza, almost nothing has changed for Manar Jendiya.

Originally from Gaza City, the Palestinian mother has remained displaced in Deir al-Balah since the truce took effect on 11 October, as most of her neighbourhood, Shujaiya, remains under Israeli control.

Two weeks into the agreement, Israeli forces heavily bombed the area where she was staying, forcing her to seek refuge elsewhere.

One of the attacks killed her sister.

“Her husband was killed earlier in the war, so she had been caring for her children alone,” Jendiya told Middle East Eye.

“When the attacks in Gaza City escalated and evacuation orders were issued repeatedly, she didn’t want to risk losing her children as well, so she sought refuge in a makeshift tent in central Gaza,” she added.

“She never imagined she would be killed here too, leaving her children without a mother or father.”

Jendiya’s experience is shared by many in Gaza, who say Israel’s two-year genocide is far from over.

On the ground, Israeli attacks and the humanitarian crisis they have caused continue.

'The genocide has only stopped in the media. But for us, it’s still ongoing'

- Manar Jendiya, Palestinian woman

Almost daily, explosions demolish large swathes of homes across the Gaza Strip. Shelling and gunfire continue to kill and wound people, while drones hover overhead broadcasting disturbing recordings.

Meanwhile, essential food items and medical supplies remain scarce amid an ongoing Israeli siege. 

“The genocide has only stopped in the media,” said Jendiya. 

“They’ve stopped talking about it, but for us, it’s still ongoing.”

Explosions in the east

Jendiya lost her husband in one of the so-called “flour massacres” during the first year of the war, when Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for aid, killing hundreds. 

Today, she is displaced with her children and in-laws in a school in central Gaza City.

“I had sought refuge in eastern Deir al-Balah,” said the mother of three. “When the ceasefire began, we decided to stay because whether there or in Gaza City, we would still be in a tent, so it made little difference.”

But the attacks continued. 

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“Bombardments came early every morning. Nothing had changed, and we didn’t feel safe. So we moved back to the centre of Gaza City.”

Even there, Jendiya says, she still feels unsafe amid intermittent strikes and the looming threat of renewed war.

“I keep storing food, afraid the siege will tighten and starvation will return,” she said. 

“Every morning we hear explosions in the east,” she said, referring to areas beyond the so-called Yellow Line, where Israeli forces are continuing to demolish homes en masse.

“Each day brings new attacks and new victims,” Jendiya added.

Israeli forces have killed at least 242 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into effect, including dozens of children, in a violation of the agreement.

Israel has also breached other terms, including the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, which is used to evacuate severely wounded people to Egypt.

The siege also remains largely in place, with only around 150 aid trucks allowed through daily, on average, out of the 600 agreed upon. Most carry non-essential food and medical supplies, while critical items remain scarce.

‘Spreading panic’

Beyond the daily bombardments and killings, Gaza residents also face the constant menace of Israeli drones.

In parts of Gaza City, drones broadcast threatening messages, ordering locals to “hand over bodies” of Israeli captives and playing disturbing sounds - including ambulance sirens - late at night.

“The last time I heard the drone was three days ago, right above my house,” said Anas Moeen, 30. 

“There’s something deliberate about the recordings they broadcast,” he added. 

“They are incomplete, distorted, and unclear - I think that’s intentional to spread panic and anxiety.”

Moeen added that their presence during the ceasefire is clearly meant to unsettle residents and send a message: the army is close and still watching. 

“They are addressing civilians with messages like ‘hand over the bodies of captives’ and ‘respect the ceasefire’, but as civilians, this is not our responsibility,” Moeen said. 

“What we understand from these messages is that the army can reach us at any moment, that the war isn’t over, and we could be the next target whenever the drone operator decides.”

Residents also report that the drones now don't resemble the quadcopters used earlier in the war.

The drone seen lately closely resembles the Israeli RA-01 model, with some design variations. Many residents say it is the first time they have seen such drones in Gaza since the start of the war.

“These were higher-flying, triangle-shaped drones,” Moeen explained. “I’ve seen similar ones used as suicide drones, but this one was broadcasting messages. 

“It felt like it could explode at any moment.”

‘Hysterical’ gunfire

In addition to the threatening messages, Israeli drones continue to drop leaflets in Gaza. On Sunday, the leaflets incited against Hamas. 

Alongside this “psychological warfare”, Israeli attacks on the ground have escalated in recent days, said Moeen.

Explosions and gunfire from military vehicles intensified after Israel’s first major ceasefire breach on 19 October, Moeen explained.

'Sometimes a soldier keeps his finger on the trigger for 15 minutes straight'

- Anas Moeen, Palestinian man 

On that day, Israel said two soldiers were killed in Rafah before launching a wave of air strikes that killed 50 Palestinians and wounded 150 others.

Even worse, the army is still “deep inside Gaza”, he added. 

“Military vehicles are only about two kilometres from my home, even though I live in a relatively central part of Gaza City.

“We’re not talking about occasional strikes; it’s a constant routine of air raids, artillery shelling, and gunfire so intense it could almost be called hysterical,” he said.

“Sometimes a soldier keeps his finger on the trigger for 15 minutes straight.”