Undefeated for their future once again, residents of Gaza are looking forward to the next food mission or maybe hearing any noise in the pipes for a drop of salty water, which would give them a rare opportunity for a shower.

Two years ago, Gaza’s largest city was full of life. The classes were filled with students, the markets were full of buyers, and cafes on the beach offered a respite to those who escaped the anxiety of a besieged enclave. However, normal life in the coastal enclave collapsed after Israel’s brutal retaliation in Hamas’ attack.

Hundreds of thousands of people who have resorted to damaged city buildings have been left to their fate. Although it is difficult to get into Gaza as Israel does not allow journalists to enter, CNN spoke with several city residents to form a picture of how the city looks in the midst of the war.

The tens of thousands of Israeli raids have left only ruins and rubbish while the sewage floods the roads. Black tobacco from burning plastic and wood, used by residents for fuel, fills the sky and the sounds of Israeli drones are constantly humming in the midst of sporadic explosions from air raids nearby.

A chaotic wire grid of generators on the streets provides electricity to those who have the financial ability to pay. The prices of the minimum products available to the markets are simplistic. Hospitals and pharmacies are no longer operating and hygiene products are rare for Palestinians, who say that infections of lice, lack of vitamins and lack of foods have left sick and weak.

As the night falls, armed gangs roam the streets with families having to be armed to protect themselves. Cash can be transferred to Gaza via an informal banking system.

Dogs ‘eating so many carcasses’

One of the residents of Gaza, 40 -year -old Matzdi Abu Hamdi, a father of four, speaking to CNN described the situation. As he said, dust from explosions drowns the roadas it enters the houses that still stand up.

Even stray dogs have changed their behavior. “At night, we hear dogs scream. They have become wild than eating so many corpses. Their barking has changed, it has become wild. They are even dangerous to humans, as they attack the inhabitants wildly. Two days ago, by mistake, a cat walked close to them. More than twenty dogs attacked her and strangled her, “she said.

“People may be thirty years old, but their exhaustion of war makes them look seventy. Their hunger and bad food are exhausted. We use the toilet only every three days due to lack of food and high prices, ”he continued.

But also Hamas, who was once so visible on the streets of the city of Gaza, is now absent. Its political offices and many parts of them have been destroyed and its fighters remain hidden.

Although last January when an agreement was reached with Israel to cease fire members of Hamas appeared massively wearing their full uniform in a public square in the city of Gaza organizing ceremonies at a demonstration of power, today it is almost impossible to form an accurate image.

“Let’s not forget that Hamas is not a static institution or a static personality. They started with a certain number of fighters on October 7 and, given the disaster and deaths in Gaza, also began a mass recruitment and replaced people who were there, “Alex Plitsas, a military expert and a senior non -permanent associate, told CNN.

‘They know we’re coming’

The occupation and possession of the largest city in northern Gaza, which Netanyahu described as one of Hamas’ last strongholds, will demand from the Israeli army bring 60,000 additional reserve soldiers. An Israeli source said this week that the army would give the Palestinians for about two months to evacuate the densely populated area before the attack began, setting a symbolic deadline on October 7th, the two -year end of the war.

Another Israeli military official was unable to provide a number for how many Hamas forces are in the city of Gaza, but said the Israeli defensive forces (IDF) have not invaded the area for almost two years of war.

Expectation is that troops will face an enemy who had time to dig, using the extensive tunnel network under the city.

‘They know we’re coming’, said the official, ‘so They are preparing for that. “

Hamas’s “Metro”, as Israel calls it, is more than just a system of uniform tunnels, the official explained. It is much more complicated than the Israeli army expected, with larger strategic hubs and offshoots, as well as smaller tunnels for fast movement and surprise attacks.

Once the city of Gaza has been evacuated, Israeli defensive forces will probably hit an expanded set of targets in the densely populated urban area, the official added, including sites that had not been hit in the past due to the density of the civilian population.

However, Israel’s upcoming operation is raising concerns from governments and relief groups, which are still worried about Israeli army behavior over the last two years due to the high number of civilians, reports of war crimes, human rights violations and human rights.