‘No income, no life’: Jerusalem’s Old City suffers as war rages

JERUSALEM: The as soon as bustling streets of Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis have fallen eerily quiet, with the continuing battle between Israel and Hamas holding away vacationers and their much-needed money.Within the maze-like warren of procuring streets that surrounds the town’s holy websites, most companies remained shuttered, almost 4 weeks into the battle.The few remaining shopkeepers courageous sufficient to open their shops wait day after day for vacationers which have but to return.”There isn’t any tourism trade any extra,” stated Marwan Attieh, 48, a third-generation tour information and memento store proprietor.”We’ve households, we’ve got kids… (There may be) no enterprise, no earnings, no income, no life. How are you going to spend cash, if you do not have cash?”The walled Previous Metropolis in annexed east Jerusalem is house to a number of the holiest websites for Christians, Jews and Muslims and has drawn pilgrims and travellers for hundreds of years.But Jerusalem’s profitable tourism sector has all however collapsed since October 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza stormed throughout the border in an assault that killed at the least 1,400 individuals, in keeping with Israeli officers.Following the onslaught, Israel has struck again laborious on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip with a relentless bombing marketing campaign that has killed greater than 9,000 individuals, primarily civilians, in keeping with the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place most Christians imagine Jesus was crucified and buried, stood largely empty on Thursday, apart from the occasional priest stirring in its cavernous halls.”Earlier than, this place was actually alive, full of individuals praying and providing their issues to God and basically very religious,” stated Pietro Mazzocco, a 31-year-old Italian seminary scholar finding out in Jerusalem.”And now it is fully empty, as you’ll be able to see right here. There are not any individuals.”Whereas many flights to Israel have been suspended and tour packages cancelled, just a few vacationers managed to achieve the largely abandoned Previous Metropolis.Rachid, a 24-year-old French vacationer, refused to cancel his journey to Israel, saying he wished to see the scenario on the bottom along with his personal eyes.He arrived earlier this week by way of the land border from Jordan, following prolonged interrogation periods by Israeli authorities.”It’s kind of bizarre, no one is within the streets,” he informed AFP, including that he had been stopped a number of instances by Israeli police since arriving.”Individuals are afraid on either side,” he shrugged. “Individuals are delicate. They do not know who I’m or the place I am from.”Outdoors of the tourism bubble, each day life has additionally taken a success.Attendances at Friday prayers on the Al-Aqsa Mosque are down, whereas checkpoints and patrols in occupied east Jerusalem have been beefed up.Many residents of the principally Palestinian-populated Previous Metropolis are afraid to go away their houses, citing harassment and bodily violence by Israeli safety forces.Within the close by West Financial institution, the variety of deaths of Palestinians has surged amid a flurry of Israeli operations, with greater than 130 killed in clashes with the navy and settlers.On Wednesday, a normal strike was known as in solidarity with the residents of the besieged Gaza Strip, with companies closing throughout the West Financial institution, together with east Jerusalem.On Thursday, many store homeowners declined to talk to AFP out of concern for his or her private safety.”It is a harmful time. It isn’t protected,” stated Emad Sideyyi, a store keeper within the Previous Metropolis.”The troopers, they kick all people,” he stated. “They do not deal in a great way with individuals.”For many, the battle can’t finish quickly sufficient.However with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing {that a} ceasefire with Hamas remained off the desk, despair appeared solely to be deepening.”We hope to have a peace for everyone,” stated Sideyyi. “We do not wish to kill one another like animals. We have to dwell.”