Terrifying evacuation orders: Inside the life of a Gaza resident amid airstrikes
In the early morning hours, Mahmud Shaheen, a resident of Al-Zahra, was startled by shouts urging him to evacuate his building. As he left the premises, he received a call from a private number. The caller identified himself as a member of the Israeli intelligence service, informing Mahmud that three nearby towers would be bombed but assuring him time to evacuate.
8:03 AM EST, November 9, 2023
The caller addressed Mahmud by his full name, speaking in fluent Arabic.
He told me that they planned to bomb three buildings and instructed me to evacuate the area - Mahmud recalls.
Although his building wasn't directly threatened, the unexpected phone call placed Mahmud in charge of evacuating hundreds of residents.
There have been accounts of the Israeli army contacting Gaza residents to warn them of impending bombings. Mahmud's experience provides a firsthand account of such incidents.
Confirmation of identity through warning shots
On October 19, the Israeli army bombed at least 25 residential blocks, housing hundreds of apartments, thereby decimating an entire district.
Due to skepticism from the gathered residents, who feared the call might be a hoax, Mahmud asked the caller to fire a warning shot to prove his authenticity. This resulted in a warning shot being fired at one of the threatened residential blocks.
"I asked for another warning shot before they start bombing" – said Mahmoud. Indeed, another shot was fired.
Thus began the evacuation. That morning, hundreds of residents took to the streets fleeing their homes. People ran and shouted, some in their pajamas or prayer suits.
The bombing persisted for almost two hours. Once it ceased, the voice on the phone told Mahmud, "We're done...you can return".
Confused and horrified, Mahmud struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed. He had resided in this Gaza district for 15 years, built a successful dental practice, and raised his children there.
A dreaded missed call
While finishing his Isha, the nighttime prayers, later the same evening, Mahmud noticed a missed call from a private number on his phone, making his heart race.
"I immediately understood that there would be another evacuation and bombing, but I didn't know the target. I feared it could be my house, or perhaps the house next to mine" - he remembered.
His phone rang again shortly. The new caller praised Mahmud for his wisdom, explaining it as the reason for contacting him again. The man identified himself as Daoud.
Mahmud recalls Daoud informing him that more buildings would be destroyed that night, charging Mahmud with the task of evacuating the neighbours once more.
Mahmud was initially told that two buildings next to the three damaged earlier that day were the targets, as well as a block across the street.
Mahmud began another evacuation, guiding his neighbours through the swallowed darkness. As predicted, the three proposed buildings were destroyed. But a change of instructions followed: they were to destroy another three buildings, and then the residents could return home.
The change of orders came abruptly. Mahmud states that they bombed a whole line of residential blocks on the eastern side of the street, consisting of over 20 towers and hundreds of homes. Regrettably, these residents had not been evacuated, as there had been no prior announcement of this destruction.
"Even for those whose houses still stand, there are no services anymore… the sewage system is damaged, there's no bakery or supermarket, and water or electricity services are absent." - said an anguished Mahmoud.
