Hundreds of thousands fled the north any way they could – by cars if there was fuel, horses, carts, even on foot. And what they found was a city on its knees and completely unprepared to welcome such a large number of people that it doubled its population literally overnight.
Hamas says that 400,000 out of 1.1 million people residing in northern Gaza headed south on Salah al-Din Road in the past 48 hours, after the Israel’s ultimatum to evacuate.
In this narrow strip of land, blocked on all sides and cut off from the rest of the world, the options for where one ends up are limited. Safety is never guaranteed. Thus, thousands of Gazans, homeless, lost and afraid, ended up in the city of Khan Yunis, which normally hosts 400,000 people, and overnight became home to more than 1 million people.
Collapse
Resources are running out fast, as Khan Yunis was already at her limit, according to the BBC. The biggest hospital of the city is already short of basic necessities and has turned into a shelter for the sick and injured. Refugees pile into the corridors as medics work feverishly to treat those wounded by the shelling. Hospitals are considered among the safest places to be in wartime, and are protected by international law. Doctors say they have almost nothing to give the new victims. Even water is given in moderation: 300 ml per day for patients. Refugees get nothing.
Schools throughout the city, they are also considered “safe”, which is why many families find refuge in them. Khan Yunis was already densely populated. Now, it’s sinking. 50-60 people can be accommodated in small apartments of a few square meters. Mothers and grandmothers cook on park benches and in yards as hungry children wait impatiently. But when there is no more space people inevitably pour into the streets, fill the alleys and underpasses and live and sleep in the dirt, the dust, the ruins. Food is minimal. Fuel is not enough. Water is scarce. It’s a hopeless situation.
In a war zone
Khan Yunis is not safe. It is often bombed as it is still in a war zone. Collapsed buildings and tons of rubble litter the streets. Rockets are fired near the hospital, the hum of Israeli drones searching for their next target is ever-present, bombs fall, buildings collapse, and hospitals and morgues are constantly filling up. People are starving and dying of thirst.
The Rafa crossing is closed
The only way out of Gaza, the Rafah crossing into Egypt, remains closed. A million refugees from Gaza are waiting 20 km from Rafah. Chaos is expected once the pass opens. Accordingly, in 2014, thousands tried to escape the war, but this time the situation will be much worse.
Source: News Beast
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