FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
"Fire everywhere, we fled into the darkness", the hell of the Palestinians in Gaza City!
To escape Gaza City today, you have to pay $250 per kilometer, if you want to get into an old, overcrowded van heading south. Hosni Hawa, a resident of the city, didn't have that kind of money. He took his children in his arms and set off in the clothes on his back, on foot, in the dark.
"Fire was falling everywhere," Alshams told Arab radio, recalling the explosions that followed them and the leaflets that the Israeli army dropped from the air, which read in Arabic: "Citizens of Gaza, staying here is very dangerous! Go to Mawasi, there you will find water and food."
According to figures, over 370,000 people have already left, while around 600,000 others remain stranded, many of them without money to pay for transport. The prices are absurd: $1,500 to travel just six kilometers. Those who benefit are black marketeers and some Hamas figures. “There is no longer a safe place in Gaza City, or outside of it. Every neighborhood is a target, every house is under attack,” says Hosni, who decided to set off on foot south, towards the unknown.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly declared: “Gaza is burning!”, posting images of the city in flames. He welcomed the Israeli army divisions that have entered Gaza and announced the mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists. The objective, he said, is clear: taking control of Gaza City and destroying Hamas. “If Gaza City falls, Hamas falls,” he declared, warning that if the Islamist group does not hand over hostages and disarm, “all of Gaza will be destroyed.”
The Israeli military says it now controls about 40% of the city, but thousands of Hamas fighters remain entrenched in various areas. According to IDF spokesmen, it will take months to establish full control, both over the city and the surrounding infrastructure. General Eyal Zamir described this as a “necessary” operation to return the hostages and neutralize an existential threat to Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that Israel is acting in accordance with international law and has opened corridors for civilians, although the death toll suggests otherwise.
Al Jazeera reports that 106 people have been killed in just one day, one victim every 15 minutes. The UN says that over 10,000 children in Gaza City are in urgent need of medical treatment, many of them starving and lacking medicine. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation “morally, politically and legally unacceptable”, warning that the case will go to the International Criminal Court. Egypt, meanwhile, warns that the region is on the verge of “total chaos”.
Amidst this catastrophe, even the churches of Gaza have become the last refuges for hundreds of civilians. In the parish of the Holy Family, 450 refugees are living on little bread and water, some medicine and the support of the nuns of Mother Teresa. Amidst the bombs, a wedding has been held and a child has been born – small traces of life in a city that burns every hour. /Adapted from “Corriere Della Sera”
Lini një Përgjigje