From Wednesday, foreigners can leave the Gaza Strip through the border crossing with Egypt. There are no completely safe places in the Gaza Strip. Mrs. Samira Ramadan’s family is still there, right in the middle of the war.
Monika Tomasik: Please tell us what part of your family is in Gaza and have you had contact with them?
Samira Ramadan: My sister’s three children are in the Gaza Strip. I had contact with them this morning. The network is once in a while. This contact is difficult. As soon as they manage to catch the net, they call us to let us know that they are alive and safe.
Monika Tomasik: Where are they now? Have they moved to the south of the Gaza Strip where it is a bit safer? Are they constantly threatened by airstrikes or directly by military operations taking place there?
Samira Ramadan: They are in the most dangerous place, Jabaliya. This is the most dangerous place in the Gaza Strip. The situation in Jabaliya is catastrophic because they have neither water nor electricity. They are also running out of supplies. (…) Transport is difficult because tanks are on the streets. It is difficult for them to get out of Jabaliya at all, to evacuate towards the border in Rafah. To get to the border is almost a miracle.
Difficult evacuation
Monika Tomasik: There have been calls for weeks to move south. But we’re talking about children here, so could you explain to me how complicated this situation was? Why didn’t they move south?
Samira Ramadan: They don’t have any family members there to move. We were afraid that even if they went there by car, a bomb might fall on them. We tried to find out about some safe transport. Although now it is impossible, because Israel is bombing even ambulances.
Monika Tomasik: Children, as you said, are in immediate danger to their lives at the moment. I understand that they were under the care of their grandparents. What is your hope right now? What are you trying to do? How are you trying to help them?
Samira Ramadan: We are trying to arrange safe transport for them to the border. We are still waiting for news about the evacuation of Poles. The evacuation has been going on for three days. There was no evacuation of Poles during these three days. We are still waiting. As soon as a list with the names of Poles appears and they start to evacuate, we would like someone to organize safe transport for them. Although we know that this is impossible at this time, where safe transport only means the Red Cross or ambulances. Despite the fact that ambulances are attacked by Israel anyway, by tanks that stand on the streets. (…) We have no hope that we will have safe transport for them at all.
Antony Blinken in Israel. Report by TVN24 reporter Artur Molęda
Dramatic reality
Monika Tomasik: How old are these children and why were they left there without their parents?
Samira Ramadan: The oldest is 15 years old, (the second child is – editor’s note) 14 years old and the youngest girl is 13 years old. They stayed there because the school year had started. Their parents didn’t want to distract them from lessons. They wanted to settle some matters related to the company in Poland.
Monika Tomasik: Can you tell us more details about how they are doing day to day?
Samira Ramadan: The oldest one walks several streets to fetch water because they lack water for washing and drinking. They also have no way to prepare food. They don’t have gas. They light a fire to make something warm. In fact, today, when our son called and told us that they were running out of food, he told us that “we are going to die here. If you don’t get us out of here, the Israeli army will kill us.” They asked us to take them out of there.
Facts about the World TVN24 BiS
Main photo source: Facts about the World TVN24 BiS