– My first priority is to survive – Dagsavisen

Israeli forces are preparing to capture Rafah, the last major refuge for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. Before the war, the city was home to around 300,000 inhabitants. Now over one and a half million people have sought refuge from Israel’s warfare here, according to local authorities.

One of them is the aid worker “Ali”, who works for Norwegian People’s Aid. He does not want to appear with his name and picture, but Dagsavisen knows his identity.

– I live every day as if it were my last, he says.

The man is a Palestinian citizen and has lived in the Gaza Strip all his life. Right now he lives in the house of a distant relative, together with around thirty other family members. They share one living room – and feel lucky. Many in Rafah live in tents instead. Or on the street. In scorching heat.

There have been reports from the Gaza Strip about famine, meaning that people are starving. Aid worker “Ali” can confirm that this is happening.

– Famine is not imminent. It is already underway. People are starving now, he tells Dagsavisen.

Captured in Rafah

The famine is more visible in the north of Gaza than in Rafah, he explains. At least for so long. But also in Rafah, access to food and especially clean water has become scarce, says “Ali”. Besides his work with the aid organisation, his daily routine consists of providing food and water for his family.

– My first priority is to try to survive, he says.

It is a task that is becoming increasingly difficult. The city is bombed daily by Israeli forces.

– Israel has previously identified a so-called humanitarian zone in the area here, but they attack in this zone as well. No place is safe, says the aid worker.

One day it is expected that Israel will take the city with ground forces, something several heads of state have warned against.

– It is not a question of if, but when. It can happen at any time. And it is impossible to prepare for such an invasion. All roads are inaccessible and the border is closed. If the Israeli forces move in, we have nowhere to go, says “Ali”.

– Rafah is my last resort. If I lose access to Rafah, it means the end for me, he adds.

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Found his parents’ grave destroyed

Earlier this month, the aid worker was given the opportunity to return to Khan Younis, a town neighboring Rafah where his grandparents lived and where he himself sought refuge after Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip.

There he was met with total destruction.

– Not a single house in Khan Younis has survived without damage. It is impossible for people to return there now, says “Ali”.

– I never thought I would see so much destruction. All the dust and ruins of houses. And the smell of body parts left in the ruins. It is absolutely unbelievable.

This week there were reports from Palestinian sources that a mass grave containing nearly 300 bodies had been found at the Nasser Hospital in the city, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area on 7 April.

While “Ali” was in town, he visited a cemetery where both his parents are buried. There, too, there was a lot of destruction. According to the Palestinian, he could see traces of military vehicles at the site, which looked completely bombed.

– My mother’s grave was open, with bones sticking out. I also saw bones from other graves sticking out of the sand.

– I would never have thought that such a conflict would harm living civilians, but also those who have died, says the aid worker.

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A prayer to the outside world

As he lives each day as if it were his last in the Gaza Strip, he receives news from the outside. Among what he gets to see, as long as there is access to electricity and the internet, are protests and actions from places like Norway. He appreciates these markings.

– All the global solidarity and protests mean so much to me, and I’m sure it means a lot to many other Palestinians too. It means that we are not alone.

His message to the outside world is simple, yet difficult:

– Please, put an end to this. Do something to stop this madness.

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Facts about the Gaza Strip

• 360 square kilometer area, slightly larger than Hamar municipality.
• Around 2.3 million Palestinian residents, almost half of whom are children.
• Occupied by Israel in 1967.
• Israel withdrew in 2005, but imposed a strict blockade after the Hamas movement won elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006.
• The UN still considers the area to be occupied.
• Ruled by Hamas, which on 7 October attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,140 people and taking around 250 hostages.
• Israel went to war and has since killed close to 33,000 Palestinians.
• According to the UN, over 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza are now living on the run from their homes.

Sources: Reuters, NTB

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