War-weary Gazans share images of destruction in Israel

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Residents of the Gaza Strip have circulated images of wrecked buildings and charred vehicles hit by Iranian missiles in Israeli cities, and some were hopeful the wider conflict could eventually bring peace to their ruined homeland.

Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, killing at least eight people, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel's strikes targeting its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

"The Iranian response was a surprise to me, to many Palestinians, and the Israelis too. Everyone thought it would be mild and theatrical," said Mohammad Jamal, 27, a resident of Gaza City.

"Watching rockets fall without the stupid Iron Dome being able to stop them is a joy, and seeing buildings collapsing and fires everywhere reminds me of the destruction the occupation brought on Gaza, yet I can't even begin to compare," he told Reuters via a chat app.

The Iron Dome is the part of Israel's multi-layered missile defence system that tackles the kind of short-range rockets and mortars fired by Hamas militants from Gaza.

Tahrir, a 34-year-old mother-of-four, said their house was destroyed in the Shejaia suburb, east of Gaza City, in the early weeks of the war in 2023, and her family has since been displaced several times.

"Finally, many Israelis felt what we have felt for 20 months, fear, loss of faith, and displacement," she said.

"I hope that this time, they will press their government to end the war in Gaza because all of what is happening with Iran is part of the wider Gaza war."

'NOTHING COMPARED TO GAZA'

The latest fatalities in Israel, reported by Israel's national emergency services, raised its death toll to 23 since Friday. Israeli attacks in Iran have killed at least 224 people since Friday, Iran's health ministry has said.

With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers.

"I was never a fan of Iran, I still don't like them because of their intervention in Gaza and other Arab countries, but seeing them retaliate for real, not a play like in previous times, made me happy, despite all the sadness around me," said Amr Salah, 29.

"It is nothing compared to what Israel did to Gaza, but at least a taste of it. It is maybe time to end all of this, in Gaza too," he added.

The war in Gaza erupted 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, taking 251 hostages and killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli tallies, on October 7, 2023.

Israel's military campaign since has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than 2 million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Hamas-led factions praised the retaliatory strikes by Iran.

"Scenes of Iranian missiles striking the strongholds and hideouts of the Zionists carry with them a sense of pride, dignity, and honour that shatters Zionist arrogance and dominance," said a statement issued in the name of the Hamas-led "Factions of Resistance".

Hamas leaders have repeatedly thanked Iran for its military and financial support to the group in its fight against Israel, including during the current war.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Alex Richardson)