It’s been one year since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza, following the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and following 75 years of Israel’s Occupation of Palestine. More than half of the Gaza Strip’s buildings, businesses, roads, farms, hospitals, and schools have been completely destroyed. Over 41,000 people have been reported killed, with this number growing daily. To commemorate a year of what has been called “the most documented genocide in history,” TRNN asked some residents of Gaza to describe their year. This is what they told us. Producer: Belal Awad, Leo ErhardtVideographer: Ruwaida Amer, Mahmoud Al MashharawiVideo Editor: Leo Erhardt Transcript Narrator:It’s been one year since Israel launched its war on Gaza. More than half of the strip’sbuildings, businesses, roads, farms, hospitals, and schools have been completely destroyed.Over 41 thousand people have been reported killed, with this number growing daily. TheReal News network asked some residents of Gaza to describe their year. This is what theytold us… Sami Isa Ramadan:No matter how much I try to explain, I couldn’t describe even 1% of what’s happened to us.In general, this war will be recorded in history. It should have its own title page in history. For the whole world, eh? Not only in the Gaza Strip, or Palestine. This war of Oct. 7, of theIsraeli army on Gaza, needs to be studied in history, because schools, hospitals, buildings,homes, fishermen, farmers, workers, there was nothing that was not targeted straightaway. Narrator:Sami Isa Ramadan has been displaced four times since Oct. 7th and now lives amidst therubble in a bombed-out building, in Deir Al Balah. Sami Isa Ramadan:I lost a brother — I don’t know if he’s in prison or dead. My siblings have been scattered.Three of them were injured. A missile struck our neighbor’s house and three of them wereinjured, and my father was killed. God rest his soul. I mean, it’s a catastrophe. Maybe thecamera — you are filming a tiny clip, out of millions of hours. To tell you the truth, I’m tired. Truly tired, you know what I mean? And this is my suffering. Out of 2 million people, I’m just one person. Narrator:While it’s true that Sami is indeed only one of around 2.2 million residents of the strip, hisexperience does reflect the experiences of many of his fellow Gazans since October 7th. Sabreen Badwan:The first week of the war, the Israelis contacted us and said: “Your area is not safe, you mustevacuate. This is a combat area.” They threw leaflets. At first, we didn’t want to move, butthen when we saw most people leaving — it was like a sign of the day of judgment — If youwere to see it, it was like the Nakba of 1948. I mean, I felt it was like the scenes of the 1948displacement that our ancestors lived through. We used to hear about it like an abstractdream and couldn’t believe it. Then we lived and experienced it, except harsher and moredifficult. Narrator:A staggering 90% of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced since October 7th, making itan almost universal experience. Sabreen Badwan is from Tel Al Hawa, and like everyone wespoke to, has moved multiple times attempting to find safety. Sabreen Badwan:I went to a house in Al Nuseirat, in the center of the Gaza strip. We spent a single nightthere. That same night we awoke in the middle of a massacre. The entire block wascompletely destroyed. From this day I was convinced the enemy was lying—there is no safeplace. I decided to move to a UNWRA school because before this war, as we used to know,the UNWRA schools were safe. Narrator:According to UNRWA, Israeli forces have targeted a total of 190 UN-run facilities in thecourse of the war. That’s despite the agency sharing the coordinates for each of its locationswell in advance. Two hundred and twenty UNRWA employees have been killed in Gaza overthe last year, making this the deadliest war for UN employees in United Nations history. Sabreen Badwan:During this war, everything changed. We went to live in a school for around three months,then we were again warned to leave the area of the school because the Israelis told us it’snot safe, it’s deadly and dangerous. So we left the school terrified, not knowing where to go,as bombs were exploding. We were terrified. We didn’t know where to go. There wasnowhere for us to go. We went to a house: we were bombed. We went to a school: we werebombed. Where should we go then? What do we do? Ni’ma Ramlawi:What should we do? Our entire house was flattened and we were displaced to Al Nuseirat,and from there we came here. They took us to the schools. We were in Al Razi and thenthey [the Israelis] took us. Narrator:Death has touched each and every person in Gaza since Oct. 7. Ni’ma Ramlawi:They hit our home, so we left — it collapsed on us. Our neighbors were killed. The entireblock behind us was destroyed. Our house collapsed. Sabreen Badwan:My father was killed at the beginning of the war. This saddened and preoccupied me a lot.Especially because I couldn’t say goodbye to him. He was north of the Gaza river and I washere south of the Gaza river. So I couldn’t say farewell, and this impacted me and my mental state. Sami Isa Ramadan:The war has affected everyone. There isn’t a family in the Gaza Strip that hasn’t beeninjured by the occupation forces. The one who lost his dad, the one who lost his siblings,there’s no family — me, my family is small, and approximately 20 people have gone. Thiswas my boys’ birthday party, in our modest and simple home. Narrator:The UN children’s agency has described Gaza as “a graveyard for children.” Children havedied from bombs, bullets, disease, and malnutrition at an alarming rate. And mental healthissues such as speech impediments and PTSD affect almost every child. Ni’ma Ramlawi:The war has affected children and young people badly. Sami Isa Ramadan:The children, my children, for example. For the basics, mosquitoes — we haven’t got asolution. Aside from the skin diseases that have spread, the epidemics that have affectedthe old and the young. As you can see, I’m sure you have seen the suffering of the children,especially the children. Ni’ma Ramlawi:What? After a year of war? What more do they want to happen to us? Hunger! Everyone ishungry. And they died of hunger. And with this war, they killed us and killed our children.They’re martyrs. They bombed our homes. There’s no house left for us to live in — neitherus nor our children. Are we going to stay like this in tents? And the winter is coming, too.Look at how we are. Exhaustion and sickness— we are grown adults and we can’t manageour mental state. There’s children — my grandson has malnutrition grade 2 from thesituation we are in. Narrator:Ruined infrastructure, open sewage, a lack of hospitals and medication, and communicabledisease have now become a threat for the people of Gaza. Shohda Abu Ajweh:God has afflicted us, aside from the war, with another war: the war of diseases and nomedications. I mean, my grandchildren are suffering from chicken pox, we haven’t found any medications. Not to mention the contaminated water and the open sewage. The Israelistargeted infrastructure on purpose to provoke the spread of disease. Right now the bordersare closed. People are not receiving any aid, so people are suffering. They’re suffering fromeverything, from a lack of everything. We ask Allah to remove this affliction and to help allour people. Riadh al Drimli:Even if things were available, there’s no money to buy it. It’s really expensive! And there’s no income on top, I’m telling you. For example, I make 20 shekels ($5.30). What am I going to do with that 20 shekels ($5.30)? I can buy some drinking water or bring something for the house? It’s not enough! Narrator:Riad al Drimli used to work as an electrician, since October 7th, he was displaced alongsidehis family and is now selling falafel to try to make ends meet. Riad al Drimli:I mean, what can I say? A lot of suffering. From tent to tent and ants and worms. Maybe forsomeone living in the rubble of their destroyed house would probably be nicer than the tents, the sewage, the water, and all the problems. Feel for us! You Arabs: rise up against these oppressors. Look at our suffering! Forget about us: what about our children! Our daughters! People are being slaughtered – and they are okay watching us bleed? Marwan Ibrahim Salem:My message to the whole world — the Arab world, to Europe, to East to West — to all — isto stand with the oppressed people. Because this nation is oppressed. And oppression neverlasts. I ask for an end to the war, and the return of people to their homes, and the rebuildingof our homes. That’s what I ask from the world. I hope to return to my home! Me and my wife. People want to return to their land! To return to Gaza city, to our neighborhood. To our families. To see who’s good, and who’s dead. Sami Isa Ramadan:To this day, the bodies of my relatives are still buried under the rubble, fromthe early days of the war. All the buildings you see here, they were bombed with people in them, they collapsed on people’s backs. On people’s heads. There’s no phone call, warning you: ‘Hello, you need to leave the house’ —- no —- the house is flattened with people still inside. This is a cowardly and savage army. It has no humanity. I have experienced the most bitter experience here. For me, the worst experience I haveever had is living in a tent. We are the living dead, here in this tent. A death sentence. Wehave been sentenced to death — they just haven’t carried out the execution. And our faith isin God. It’s in God’s hands.