– We are terrified of fear. We don’t know where to go.
Khaled, the father of two, writes this in a message to VG on Tuesday morning. He and his family have been displaced to a tent in Rafah, and now they fear that Israel will invade this area as well.
For Tuesday morning https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1787736497686270307 the israeli defense images of tanks at the palestinian border post of Rafah in Gaza.
Israeli flags have been hung.
Around 1.5 million Palestinians have been internally displaced to Rafah since the war began, and the area has been described as one of the safest places in Gaza.
But now the war is getting closer and closer there too.
– There is hunger, we are thirsty, there is not enough emergency aid and we do not know if we will wake up alive, says Khaled.
He and his family have been displaced to Rafah, where the family now lives in a tent.
– We do not know of any other safe places. Now we don’t know where to go. We are lost, he says.
The UN has previously warned of a massacre and great civilian suffering if Israel invades Rafah.
Satellite images show the area has been overrun by tents with Palestinians:
The EU, China, Turkey and Egypt have come up with strong reactions to the fact that Israel has moved into Rafah despite the warnings from a united world community.
– I am afraid that this will lead to many deaths, that many civilians will die, regardless of what they say. There are no safe zones in Gaza, says EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell to the press on Tuesday, NTB reports.
Rafah is a town in southern Gaza, and recently Israeli forces have taken control of the Palestinian side of the border crossing there. This is important because the Rafah crossing is a main route for emergency aid into Gaza, and the control over this could affect the access to aid and the evacuation of the sick and injured to hospitals in Egypt.
The primary parties in this conflict are Israel and Hamas. Israel is the country that has taken control of the border crossing, while Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for many years, but the latest escalation started after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which led to a full-scale war. Israel aims to remove Hamas from power, while Hamas and other Palestinian groups fight against Israeli occupation.
International actors such as the EU, UN, China and Egypt have expressed deep concern about the situation. They have condemned Israel’s actions and called for a ceasefire and the protection of civilians. The UN has also reported that they have been denied access to the Rafah crossing, hampering their ability to deliver emergency aid.
Yes, negotiations are ongoing with brokers from Egypt, Qatar and the USA. Hamas has expressed a willingness to discuss a ceasefire, and there has been talk of an agreement that includes the release of hostages and prisoners, as well as measures to ease the blockade of Gaza. But the situation is very uncertain, and previous agreements have not led to lasting peace.
The desperate situation is shared by Mohammed Quidaih (30), who is located close to Rafah.
– I don’t know where to go, he writes in a message to VG.
He is from Khan Younis but had to flee his home to Rafah further south. For almost five months he has lived in the tent camp here, together with his mother, father and several of his siblings.
Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Abse (40) fears what will happen to his family.
They have been on the run for half a year, and have seen how their home was bombed.
He sends over pictures of the house before and after the war started.
Now they have fled to Rafah.
– It is packed with people here in Rafah because they have been displaced.
They have prepared to flee if the Israeli tanks arrive, but do not know where to go. Fleeing north to the area Israel has wanted is not relevant for them.
They therefore want to flee to Egypt, but it is an expensive affair that they cannot afford.
– We have no idea where to flee to, he says.
This is where the Palestinians must flee:
Tags: Terrified Palestinians
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