People inspect the damage following Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on December 29, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories: After nearly three months of deadly strikes, incessant displacements and sputtering humanitarian aid, "exhausted" Gazans say they are desperate for an end to the fighting as Israel's war looks set to grind on into the new year.
The Israeli army kept up its campaign across the length of the Gaza Strip on Friday in the face of mounting international pushback, with UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterating his call for "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire", and South Africa initiating a case against Israel in international court.
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, warned of the growing threat of infectious diseases as fighting displaces more and more Gazans, forcing them ever further south towards the already-overcrowded city of Rafah.
"Enough with this war! We are totally exhausted. We are constantly displaced from one place to another in cold weather," said 49-year-old Um Louay Abu Khater from a camp in the southern border city.
"The bombs keep falling on us every day and night. We expect missiles (at any moment), while others are preparing for New Year's Eve celebrations."
The UN says more than 85 percent of Gaza's 2.4 million people have fled their homes, with many now going hungry and braving the winter rains in makeshift tents.
An Israeli siege, following years of crippling blockade, has led to dire shortages of food, safe water, fuel and medicine, with aid convoys offering only sporadic relief.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday that one such convoy had come under fire from Israeli forces the day before, without causing any casualties.
Ahmed al-Baz, 33, said the year drawing to a close had been "the worst in my life".
"It was a year of destruction and devastation," he said. "We went through hell and encountered death itself."
"We just want the war to end and start the new year at our homes, with a ceasefire declared," he added.
In Rafah, 27-year-old Youssef Ahras told AFP he hoped the negotiations could "stop the bloodshed... because the price of war is so high".
"I don't know a lot about the political aspects because as locals, we are busy with our essential needs," he said.
