(8 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip – 8 May 2024
1. Various of Palestinian family evacuated from Rafah, sitting next to their luggage between the sea and a road
2. Child sitting on pillows on roadside
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Um Essam, displaced woman:
"We left with our luggage, and ourselves. We arrived here. Here, we did not find a shred of land. We settled here, but we are afraid for our children because of the street and the sea as they are small children. Because of that, we want to leave this area to an area a bit more inland because of the children."
4. Various of displaced family sitting next to their luggage
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Um Essam, displaced woman:
"The suffering is tough, there is no food or drink. We are looking for a loaf of bread and cannot find it. Look how many people are with us. Countries should pity us, the world should pity us and look at us with mercy. We have no one but God. No one cares about us. Let them look at these poor people who have slept in the open. Some of them slept in the street and the rest in tents. Where do we take our children? Have mercy on us."
6. Various of displaced family sitting next to their luggage
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sawsan al-Helou, displaced woman:
"We are asked to leave. Well where do we go, where do we go? We’ve left and I swear to God, we don’t know where we are going. We came to this land, and the owners of the land told us when we arrived yesterday that ‘it is forbidden (to stay here).’ Where do we go, Lord? We paid 1,000 shekels for the car for transportation, and we went down with our luggage and all our things, and we don’t know where to go. All night, we are terrified and afraid of the dogs and the weather is cold as we are close to the sea. And as you can see how we are, homeless. How long, oh God? How long? How long, people? Oh Lord, have mercy on us with your mercy."
8. Various of boy baking bread on burning wood, his family members sitting near luggage
9. Various of family members sitting near luggage
10. Various of people baking bread on burning wood
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rani Naser, displaced man:
"I am moving against my will. In my view, it is better to go and settle in my house, even if it is destroyed, and set up a tent at the door of my house. That is better than fleeing from Rafah to Khan Younis to Nuseirat. Every time, you are in a (new) area, where you do not know anyone. You do not know where there is water and where there are services."
12. Various of boy and woman clearing weeds
13. Various of displaced families with their belongings in open land
STORYLINE:
Displaced Palestinian families gathered by the waterfront in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah on Wednesday, saying they were struggling to find food and water but had nowhere else to go.
Since the war began in October, many have travelled the length of Gaza, from north to south, only to begin a reverse journey after the Israel-designated safe zone became extremely overcrowded.
Um Essam and her extended family of 55 say there are no facilities in the small strip of coastline where they have spent the night.
"We settled here, but we are afraid for our children because of the street and the sea as they are small children," said Um Essam, who is originally from Beit Hanoun.
"Look at these poor people who have slept in the open. Some of them slept in the street and the rest in tents," Um Essam added.
She pleaded for help, asking "where do we take our children?"
The family made their way to private land, but its owners have asked them to leave.
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