No way out as deadly strikes reported at crowded south Gaza border
Palestinians say that supposed safe zones in Gaza are being attacked and deprived of aid, as the death toll mounts and a humanitarian crisis worsens in the besieged enclave.
Israel has designated the coastal town of al-Mawasi as a safe area, airdropped thousands of leaflets urging residents to flee south to the city of Rafah, and created a grid system that it says is being used to inform civilians of safe areas and evacuation routes.
But a series of deadly air strikes on Rafah were reported on Thursday. One strike in Shaboura refugee camp killed 20 Palestinians and injured dozens more, according to local correspondents.
Around 80 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have been displaced during the war, according to the UN, with most clustered in the south, where makeshift camps have been installed.
Khalil Abu Shammala, a media consultant displaced to south Gaza from the north, said Rafah has become overcrowded, increasing the danger from air strikes.
“They say it is a safe zone but they target specific places where they suspect Hamas members,” he told i. “During these bombings, civilians are victims. There is not a single safe place in Gaza.”
Mr Abu Shammala also said that communication outages are limiting residents’ ability to make calls or use the internet – including Israel’s online advice on reaching safe areas.
Amal, an employee of the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity displaced to the south, said: “At night, the Israelis start bombing residential buildings in Rafah, and during the day, they allow the humanitarian aid … we have no idea where it goes. All stores are empty and people are starving.”
Maha Husseini, who was displaced with her familiy from north to central Gaza, said they would not follow evacuation orders after hearing of attacks on supposed safe areas.
“We were told it is better to evacuate to Rafah as the Israeli military said it would be safe, but we haven’t evacuated,” she said. “Based on our previous experience for the past two months, we cannot follow the instructions of the Israeli army, every area that they designed as safe was severely bombed and hundreds of people there were killed.
“There is no safe place in Gaza and we have decided not to be displaced twice.”
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported 350 deaths on Thursday, taking the total to a reported 17,177 since Israel’s assault on the strip began on 7 October, when deadly Hamas raids killed around 1,200 Israelis. The ministry’s figures are deemed reliable by the UN.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said that it had struck 250 targets in 24 hours up until Thursday morning as attacks continued across the strip, with bombing also reported in north and central Gaza.
Aid groups say the site of five square miles in the designated safe zone of al-Mawasi is inadequate for the needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Palestinians who have reached al-Mawasi say there is little aid available. “There’s no bread, no water, no flour, there’s no life at all,” one occupant told Sky News.
An IDF spokesperson declined to comment on whether additional aid would reach the area, or whether additional safe zones would be established.
Israel’s security cabinet voted late on Wednesday to increase the supply of fuel to Gaza, reportedly under US pressure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would provide a “minimal supplement of fuel – necessary to prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics.”
Aid groups continued to report severe shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine. The UN warned that humanitarian operations were being hampered by factors including a shortage of vehicles, communication blackouts, and the unavailability of staff due to hostilities.