Gaza residents have been uprooted repeatedly during more than seven months of Israeli invasion and bombardment. Faced with the prospect of having to pack their bags and flee once again, some in Rafah are postponing their departure, at least for the moment.
More than 800,000 Palestinians have already fled the southern city of Rafah and its surrounding areas over the past three weeks as Israel continues a military offensive there, according to the United Nations. But many are holding firm in what was once considered the safest place in the Gaza Strip, where more than a million people have sought refuge.
They are exhausted, hungry, and know that the next place they flee to probably won’t be safe either. Israel continued to bomb Gaza, even in areas previously designated safe.
Israeli forces dropped leaflets ordering people to evacuate and launched a military offensive this month in eastern Rafah, moving meter by meter deeper into the city. The UN’s highest court appears to have ordered Israel to end its offensive, but so far Israel has indicated it will continue its offensive.
Some residents of western Rafah are waiting to see what will happen before going out. Others have even fled and returned, having found neither safety nor the essentials of life elsewhere.
“The most despicable word I don’t like to say or hear is ‘displacement,’” Randa Naser Samoud, 30, a mathematics teacher from northern Gaza, said Thursday as the Israeli army moved toward the center from the city. . “Evacuation means loss of value in life, so much suffering and pain. »
With her husband – a dentist – and their three children, Ms. Samoud has already been displaced four times. They now live in a tent near a UN warehouse and, although their area has not received evacuation orders, about three-quarters of the people around them have already fled.
As Ms. Samoud walked with one of her young sons on Thursday, she saw trucks on the street loaded with the belongings of families preparing to flee.
“The topic of evacuation is not an easy thing to discuss or decide,” she said. “I always discuss plans with my husband if necessary, but it’s always difficult to decide.”
His father suggested they move to a school building in one of the towns where many people had fled for refuge. But Ms Samoud says schools turned into shelters are not a good option due to the lack of sanitation and garbage piling up everywhere. She fears that her children will get sick.
Each time they travel, Gazans have to start from scratch, as they often cannot take much with them. Transportation costs can reach hundreds of dollars.
“The last horrible thought that comes to mind is the moment I have to escape from my tent and leave everything I collected or bought behind,” she said, pointing to the clothes, the dishes and food they have in their tent.
Ahlam Saeed Abu Riyala, 40, said concerns over access to water have kept her and her family of eight in western Rafah after being displaced four times.
For months, they have been living in a tent just steps from the Egyptian border – close enough to speak to Egyptian soldiers on the other side. As Ms. Abu Riyala stood outside her tent and spoke to a neighbor, a nearby tanker pumped drinking water for the camp’s displaced people.
“We are now divided; I say we should evacuate Rafah before it is too late, but my husband says ‘no,’” she said. “But we can’t leave for many reasons, and water is the top priority. »
The noises of the air and ground invasion of Israel keep them in suspense. They can hear tanks and, sometimes, armed Israeli drones broadcasting the “security” message in Arabic or the sound of dogs barking, she said.
Even if they choose to leave, the cost of such a trip may be beyond their means.
“Mentally, physically and financially, I’m exhausted and I’m sick of the word ‘evacuation,’” she said. “I hate my life and all this suffering.”
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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