Children in south Gaza describe scenes of horror as Israeli bombing resumes  

After a week of quiet, Rana's daughters woke up on Friday morning to an intense Israeli bombing.

They are now full of fear, the Khan Younis resident in south Gaza said, as the constant sound of shelling has not stopped since. 

"My children wake up and sleep to the sounds of bombing and artillery shelling," Rana, whose name has been changed due to safety concerns, told Middle East Eye. 

The Hamad housing complex, where Rana and her family live, was heavily bombarded on Saturday, forcing them to flee. 

Their journey to the central area of the Gaza Strip was not any safer, as they saw a car near them get hit. 

Rama, aged 11, said she had become used to the peace during the temporary truce last week. 

"During the ceasefire, I went to my school to check if it was bombed. It was densely crowded and the smell was unbearable. It was so cold. It was one of the worst scenes I've seen in my life," she told MEE. 

"Friday night was very difficult, and there was a lot of bombing. I saw a lot of red lights from the window. I cried a lot. I haven't seen such bombing. So, I ran to my parent's bed. When I heard the bombing, my mother told us to read prayers so that Allah would protect us. 

"When we were in the car, a nearby car was bombed. I saw it and huge smoke coming out. I was so scared. Then we saw people living in blanket-like tents and sleeping underneath. Their situation was so miserable. I was so happy when we arrived and found my aunts and uncles were safe. I don't know how my cousin [one-year-old] Khaled, is living in all this. He must be scared."

Alaa, 9, shared similar fears to those of her sister. 

"I thought it was a ceasefire, but suddenly I saw many bombings and red lights," she told MEE. "I asked my father what that was, and he told me it was fireworks. But he didn't tell the truth as I saw smoke, which made me so scared."