Smoke and flares rise over Gaza City during an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on Friday. In a city increasingly cut off from the rest of the world, Mr. Matar described days full of desperation and fear. “We are trying to conserve what we have until the situation changes — until this sad story is over,” Mr. Matar said. And because there are also no bottles of water to be found in the stores, Mr. Matar has been relying on his neighbors’ reserves. “When she hears the missiles in her sleep, my 3-year-old jumps,” Mr. Matar said.

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Persons: Mohammad Matar, Matar, ”, “, Mr, Juliette Touma, Ms, Touma, Philippe Lazzarini, —, ” Abeer Pamuk Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, West Bank Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, Beit Lahia, Rafah, Palestinian, San Francisco