It has been one week since Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing over 1,300 people and taking more than 100 people hostage. In response, the Israeli government has declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, a narrow piece of land bordered by Israel and Egypt, cutting off water, food, fuel, and medical supplies, while relentlessly bombing the territory—and killing many more Palestinian civilians in the process.

At the time of writing, the number of people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen above 2,300. Among them are at least 700 Palestinian children. More than 8,700 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli airstrikes, which have intensified as the week has progressed. On Friday, the Israeli government called on the 1.1 million civilians living in Gaza City (nearly half of the territory’s population) to relocate south, but the Gaza Strip—which is a total of 140 square miles and which is home to roughly one million children—currently has no safe passage for civilians trying to find cover. On Friday afternoon, vehicles carrying civilians fleeing northern Gaza to the south on one of two routes described by the Israeli army as “safe” were hit by a deadly airstrike, killing 70 people including children. Meanwhile, Egypt has rejected the idea of establishing safe corridors for refugees, and Israel refuses the distribution of aid despite pressure from relief groups. 

“This is unprecedented,” said The UN Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in a statement. “Wars have rules. Civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations premises cannot be a target.”

Atmos has compiled a list of organizations raising funds for emergency aid for Palestinians in Gaza, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, ActionAid, and Anera. 

This story is accompanied by photographs by Alessandra Sanguinetti of life in Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli occupation between the years of 2003 and 2020.