In central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, a 14-year-old displaced boy named Karam kicks a blue, yellow, and white football along a sandy path. Before the war, his dream was to become a professional footballer. That dream is now fading.
“My dream was to be a footballer. I used to play on the streets with friends. Life before the war was beautiful,” Karam told CNN. “Now everything has changed. There’s no field, no friends — some have been martyred, some displaced.”
The devastation across Gaza is immense. Residential buildings, schools, hospitals, bakeries, and markets have been destroyed. An estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced to Rafah, many living in makeshift tents.
According to reports, thousands of bodies remain buried under rubble across the strip. Many may never be recovered, with women and children constituting the majority of casualties.
Medical teams say the situation is catastrophic. Hospitals lack basic supplies, and patients requiring surgery often cannot receive treatment due to the destruction of healthcare infrastructure.
Despite the devastation, cultural resistance continues. Recalling Palestinian writer and professor Rifaat al-Areer, who was killed in an Israeli strike in December 2023, one resident said: “He was a symbol of the power of thought, culture, and words. People are still writing, still speaking, still hoping. And that itself is a form of resistance.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report