Eight bombs. This is what I was able to count on Thursday during an audio messaging conversation with Doctor Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, of Doctors Without Borders, contacted in the Gaza Strip.
Explosions loud enough and close enough to mask parts of our twenty-minute exchange. The soundtrack of the Israeli military operation which began in Rafah, in the south of the Palestinian enclave, where Doctor Mughaisib is located.
Until May 6, Rafah was one of the last places where Palestinian civilians could flee for safety. Today, out of the million people there, around a hundred thousand, ordered to evacuate by the Israeli authorities, are trying to flee the city of refuge to find another semblance of shelter in an area that they said to be safe, but which is not. There is no roof, no basic foodstuffs, no water, no guarantee of not receiving a bomb on the head.
“People are evacuating as best they can. Some are in their cars with everything they own. Mattresses, pillows, blankets. There are some who are parked in the street and trying to pitch their tent. Others are completely on the street with their personal belongings. I saw some cry. They are in the middle of trauma. They ask for help. We see a mixture of depression, anxiety, fear,” says the Palestinian doctor.
Originally from Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian territory, he himself has had to travel four times since the start of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack on October 7. in Israel. “I am luckier than the majority. My family was able to evacuate to Egypt in February. I don’t have to look after her,” he said, comparing himself to a family friend with young children who called him in tears this week, unable to find a home for his family. The total count.
These days, the situation is aggravated by the closure of the two border crossings leading to Rafah and through which no humanitarian aid has passed for three days, describes Doctor Mughaisib.
There weren’t enough essential goods getting to us before the shutdown. We’re almost out of fuel now. This is completely crazy.
Doctor Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, from Doctors Without Borders
Meanwhile, news agencies report that Israeli tanks are massing near Rafah, suggesting that a large-scale ground operation is coming. Despite the warnings and denunciations that have been coming for weeks from absolutely everywhere in the world. From Arab countries, Europe, Russia, China, Canada. We fear the worst for the population already backed to the wall.
Even Joe Biden caused surprise on Wednesday by affirming that the United States “will not provide the weapons” for a military invasion of Rafah.
The president also announced that he had put the brakes on sending bombs to Israel, a notable change of course just two weeks after Congress agreed to send $25.4 billion in aid to Israel.
This rebuff does not seem to encourage the Israeli government to take a step aside. The Minister of National Security, far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, responded by writing on X that “Biden loves Hamas.” In a speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “no amount of pressure is going to stop Israel from defending itself.” We are not in the examination of conscience.
Despite this refusal from Israel, the humanitarian community continues to ask Western governments to do more to encourage the two belligerents to conclude a ceasefire agreement.
Regional advisor for Humanity & Inclusion in the Middle East, Mara Bernasconi was in Ottawa on Thursday to meet political actors, including Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen.
“Canada has already requested a ceasefire like many other states, but its request can be more supported. It’s time to make your voice heard,” says the woman who has just returned from a visit to the West Bank.
In Rafah, the population is calling for an end to the fighting, but no longer trusts the international community, says Mohammed Abu Mughaisib. “They lost their homes, their families, their personal and social lives. They lost everything! In seven months, there have been nearly 35,000 deaths1 and 70% are women and children. Hospitals are almost all destroyed or damaged. What remains to explain? It’s time to put an end to this genocide,” he says.
For his part, he does not intend to flee Rafah. Despite the bombs. Despite the military operation which risks gaining momentum. Despite the despair that surrounds him. He will stay to care for those who also remain behind. “I will not travel for the fifth time. That’s enough ! »
1. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, under Hamas control. For its part, the Israeli government estimates that 1,200 people died in the Hamas attacks of October 7.
reference: www.lapresse.ca