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full screen Displaced Palestinians fleeing east Rafah arrive at a temporary camp west of the city. Picture from last Friday. Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/TT
War-weary Gazans flocked to the coastal areas of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on Sunday, fleeing heavy bombardment in the eastern parts of the city from which Israel has ordered them to evacuate.
– We have lived through three days that can be considered as hell, says 24-year-old Mohammed Hamad, one of the 300,000 Palestinians who fled the area recently, according to Israel.
Despite widespread international opposition to a major military operation in Rafah, Israel has targeted the densely populated area in what it says is an attempt to destroy Hamas’ last stronghold.
Heavy bombings
According to witnesses, the eastern parts of Rafah have been heavily bombed in the past 24 hours and Israel has sent in tanks and forces for what are described as targeted raids in the area.
– It was one of the worst nights for us since the war began, says Mohammed Hamad.
He has taken refuge in al-Mawasi, the place designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone. This despite the fact that aid organizations have warned that the place is not prepared for the large stream of people who are now seeking shelter there.
During the course of the war, the small border town of Rafah grew to house around 1.4 million people who fled the fighting in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
– (Israel) started by distributing leaflets in the morning, and immediately launched brutal artillery and aerial bombardments without giving people a chance to think or organize their belongings properly, according to Mohammed Hamad.
“Where are we going?”
Umm Mohammed al-Mughayyir told AFP that she and her family were forced to flee the fighting seven times.
– We have reached a point where we long for death, she says.
– With us are people with special needs, elderly people and children. Where will we go when the bombing never stops, day and night?