‘Our greatest hope is that this nightmare will end’

Two years on from Hamas's 7 October attacks, Gaza is a hellscape of death and famine, report Nedal Hamdouna in Gaza and our chief international correspondent Bel Trew

- Bel Trew

For two years, the people of Gaza have endured one of the most devastating bombardments and humanitarian catastrophes of our time.

Israel’s offensive in and siege of the enclave, launched in the bloody aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attacks, has killed more than 67,000 people, including at least 19,000 children, according to local officials. A UN-backed global hunger monitor has concluded that the bombing and blockade have led to famine spreading across the strip.

Nearly the entire population of 2.3 million has been forced to flee - often multiple times - and more than 90 per cent of Gaza’s homes have been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. The situation is so dire that a UN commission of inquiry concluded last month that Israel has committed, and continues to commit, genocide in Gaza - a charge the Israeli government vehemently denies.

Two years on from the start of this unprecedented bloodshed, families in Gaza describe a “glimmer of hope” as negotiators from Hamas and Israel meet in Egypt to try and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal on the back of the US president Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

As Basel al-Saqa, 32 a father of two, tells The Independent from his tent in southern Gaza: “A ceasefire means that the land that has burned for so long can breathe again.” As the world hopes for a breakthrough, families describe their struggle over the last two years and their desperation for an end to the nightmare.

Running a hospital under siege, missiles and disappearances

Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza.