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A heartbroken Palestinian in the UAE has told of her devastation after dozens of relatives were killed during Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Fidaa Alloh, 39, said at least 40 family members have lost their lives in the raging Israeli-Gaza conflict.
She fears the toll will rise further, with other loved ones reported missing.
Her cousin and three of her children, including an infant, were killed in an Israeli air strike.
“Another child survived but lost a leg, while my cousin’s husband sustained severe injuries and hearing loss,” said Ms Alloh, who lives in Sharjah.
“Their home now lies in ruins, reduced to a pile of rubble.”
In a separate incident, a cousin of Ms Alloh's father were killed along with her entire family, including her husband, children and grandchildren, when their apartment complex was bombed.
“Her name was Huda Mohammad Alloh, she was in a video that circulated on social media praying for help just a day or two before she and her family were killed,” said Ms Alloh.
Gaza is in the grip of a worsening humanitarian crisis stemming from retaliatory Israeli bombardments, after Hamas militants launched a surprise assault in the south of Israel on October 7.
At least 12 hospitals and 32 clinics in the Gaza Strip have been shut due to a lack of power and the damage caused by Israeli air strikes, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.
The closures have come in the two weeks since the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel that led to a retaliatory siege of Gaza and heavy air strikes, resulting in the killing of more than 5,000 Palestinians and displacement of more than one million.
Fears grow as attacks intensify
Ms Alloh said her elderly diabetic mother, who is also in the UAE, is living in constant fear of losing more loved ones in Gaza.
She said her mother spoke to one of her sisters in Gaza, who told her that family members were gathered in one house, believing that if they are to die they should do so together.
“My aunt said what is breaking their hearts the most is the terror felt by their children, who now refer to night time as 'the monster' because of the increased air strikes during that time,” Ms Alloh said
“She told my mother not to feel sad if they are all killed because they would be martyrs.”
Ms Alloh spoke of her sorrow at civilians in Gaza who have died while seeking shelter from the barrage of attacks.
“People seeking shelter in hospitals met with more tragedy as some were killed in those very hospitals.”
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Palestinians look for survivors of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at Nusseirat refugee camp. AP -
A survivor is found in the rubble in Nusseirat. AP -
A man is given oxygen and pulled from the rubble in Nusseirat. AP -
This desperate search for survivors is being replicated across the Gaza Strip. AP -
Yocheved Lifshitz speaks to the media outside a Tel Aviv hospital after being released by Hamas. EPA -
Israeli women who were held hostage by Palestinian Hamas militants, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper (also known as Nurit Yitzhak), are released by the militants. Reuters -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron before their talks in Jerusalem. AP -
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli air strike on a house in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Palestinians inspect the damage of a destroyed house that was hit by an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis. AP -
Ms Cooper and Ms Lifshitz arrive at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre after being released by Hamas on Monday. AFP -
A woman cries next to the rubble of a building after Israeli strikes on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. AFP -
Wateen, a 14-month-old Palestinian baby, who was wounded in an Israeli strike that killed her mother and injured her twin brother Ahmed, recovers at Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. Reuters -
A Palestinian girl clutches salvaged books as people look for survivors in the rubble of a destroyed building hit in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis. AFP -
People mourn during the funeral of members of the Abu Morad family who died following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis. AFP -
A wounded Palestinian man arrives at Nasser Medical Complex, following Israeli air strikes on the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AP -
Red Crescent Society employees sort humanitarian aid bound for Palestinians in Gaza, at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA -
Ayman Abou Chamalah stands next to his daughter Mecca as she receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah. AFP -
Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of Erik Kraunik, chief of security in the kibbutz of Be'eri, during his funeral at a cemetery in Yehud, Israel. AP -
A man sits among the rubble of a building destroyed in Israel's bombardment of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
A Red Crescent worker sorts aid for Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the blockaded enclave. Reuters -
Israeli soldiers take part in a drill near the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion. EPA -
Men fill fuel containers with drinking water in Rafah. AFP -
Smoke billows over Gaza after an air strike, as seen from southern Israel. AP -
A person holds a child as Palestinians gather in Khan Younis at the site of a house destroyed during an Israeli bombardment. Reuters -
Israeli soldiers sit on top of a tank near the border with Gaza. Getty Images -
Buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis. Reuters -
Palestinians are evacuated from a building in Rafah that was hit during Israel's bombardment. AP -
Shahar Idan, 9, mourns during the funeral of his brother Maayan, 18, who was killed by Hamas gunmen in the kibbutz of Nahal Oz. His father Tzahi is being held hostage in Gaza. Reuters -
Palestinian doctors treat a premature baby at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al Balah, Gaza. AP -
Rescue crews search for bodies after Hamas militants attacked the kibbutz of Be'eri in Israel. Getty Images -
Lorries carrying humanitarian aid head to Deir Al Balah after crossing from Egypt through Rafah. Bloomberg -
Palestinians evacuate survivors in Deir Al Balah after an Israeli bombardment. AP -
Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes on Gaza. EPA -
Israeli soldiers at a position along the border with Lebanon. EPA -
A woman leans against the window of an ambulance outside Kuwait Hospital after an Israeli strike in Rafah. AFP -
A Palestinian cries as the body of his daughter is recovered from beneath the rubble of a building destroyed during an Israeli air strike on Rafah. AFP -
A convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Rafah after crossing into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Bloomberg -
The pictures of more than 1,000 people abducted or killed during the attack by Hamas militants are displayed on empty seats at Tel Aviv University. Getty -
Palestinians are evacuated from buildings in Rafah after the bombardment of the Gaza Strip. AP -
Israeli soldiers gather at an undisclosed location near the border with Gaza. EPA -
Palestinians mourn outside a house in Gaza struck by Israel. Reuters -
A bullet-riddled fridge in a house in the kibbutz of Kissufim in southern Israel, where 14 people were killed and four were abducted by Hamas militants on October 7. AP -
Football fans inside Anfield stadium hold up Palestine flags during the Liverpool-Everton derby on Saturday. Reuters -
Palestinians wounded in the bombardment of Gaza are taken to Al Asa Hospital in Deir Al Balah. AP -
Rescuers search for victims and survivors in buildings destroyed by air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty -
Residents of Tel Aviv show support for the families of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. Reuters
She underlined the challenges of making contact with relatives to ensure they remain safe.
“There are rare moments when we manage to get in touch with our family, often receiving lists of martyrs to help identify them,” she said.
She said Gaza had been suffering for years, even before this most recent escalation in violence.
“We lost many family members in every previous attack on Gaza, but what's happening now is a massacre.”
Ms Alloh said Gaza's women remain steadfast in the face of unthinkable tragedy.
“Gaza women lack the luxury of dedicating time to mourn properly because they need to be strong for whatever loss the next minute might bring them,” she said.
Horrors of war take toll
Fellow Palestinian Fathi Abu Seedo, 61, has lived in the UAE for four decades and works in Dubai.
He has four sons and four daughters, aged between 15 and 33, who were all born in the Emirates.
In 2021, due to financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Seedo decided to send his family back to Gaza, where they share a home with his brother and 81-year-old mother.
“My mother has experienced all of the wars on Gaza, and now refuses to leave her home in Al Remal neighbourhood,” he said.
His son and brother have chosen to stay with her, while the rest of the family, comprising 24 members including his brothers and their families, have relocated to what they hope is a potentially safer area.
Communication with them has become exceedingly difficult.
“I call and text them 24 hours a day but nothing. I can't sleep spending the night looking at their pictures to the extent that I deleted all of the pictures on my mobile phone,” he said.
He spoke of the emotional toll it has taken on him being separated from his family, as he yearns to be with them once more in their moment of need.
“They are my wealth and my entire support network,” he said.
His son sent him a video of the destruction in Gaza, which horrified him.
“It has been reduced to rubble, and no words can describe the dire situation on the ground.”
His family faces severe challenges, including lack of electricity, clean water, and food.
“They must ration their limited food supply to ensure it lasts as long as possible,” Mr Abu Seedo said.
“Even the water they drink is salty.”
He recalled one heart-rending conversation with his family, when they expressed their desire to stay together, to spare each other the pain of loss.
“They said if they will die, it's best to die together so none of them is heart-broken on the other.
“I screamed, what about me? I wish I was with them.”
Despite the constant fear, Mr Abu Seedo remains hopeful and prays for the safety of all the people of Gaza.
“They are all my family, and Allah will protect them,” he said.
He said he hoped the world would take note of the crisis enveloping Gaza, where the “suffering is now beyond comprehension”.
