Palestinian journalist: There is no safe place for civilians in Gaza

2023-10-17 20:08:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

Palestinian journalist Reem Al Omari says in an interview for the Voice of America that there is no safe place in Gaza. According to her, the civilians who have agreed to leave the northern part of Gaza towards the south have been affected by rocket and bomb attacks by Israel. Meanwhile, former Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, urges Palestinian civilians to leave, as Israel will attack Hamas on many fronts until it is eliminated.

"There is no safe place in Gaza"

Palestinian journalist Reem Al Omari says Palestinian civilians have no safety in any area of ??the Gaza Strip as they face shortages of basic necessities.

"Despite asking civilians to head south for safety, overnight Israeli bombardments in northern Gaza have killed 71 people and injured hundreds. "Today in Gaza there is no water, no food. People are desperate for water and other basic needs. The Gaza Strip is completely blocked. The situation in Gaza is very bad. There are over 2,000 injured people currently in the hospital."

Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon urges the population in Gaza to leave before Israeli intervention with ground troops. He holds Hamas responsible for the deaths of civilians in Gaza.

"Every civilian casualty in Gaza is the responsibility of Hamas. Each one. It was an unprovoked attack against Israel. We are fighting back, trying to minimize civilian casualties, but Hamas is hiding behind them and using them as human shields. Hamas members are cowards, they attack women and children here in Israel and then go to Gaza and hide behind the women and children. We must pursue them and call on the population in Gaza to go south, go towards Khan Yunis, towards the border with Egypt and not stay in the northern part of the Gaza Strip," he said.

Journalist Al Omari says that most of the population in northern Gaza has refused to leave. But even those who fled, according to her, were in danger.

"Even those who have fled have been affected by bomb or rocket attacks from Israel. There is no safe place either north or south of Israel. Na safe place in Gaza for people. Unfortunately, most of the people in the north did not leave for the south. However, even those who fled were hit by Israeli attacks as they tried to flee. There is no security for them", she says.

On Tuesday, dozens of people were killed by Israeli bombardments in northern Gaza, areas it has asked Palestinians to leave ahead of an expected ground offensive.

Mr. Danon says that Israel is preparing to hit Hamas on many fronts, until the militant group is eliminated.

"We experienced a terrible attack. Here in the city of Sderot, over 50 people have been massacred, over 1,300 victims, most of them civilians, women and children, have been raped and kidnapped in Gaza. We're fighting for our lives, so we're going to attack Hamas, and when I say we're going to attack them, we're going to attack them by sea, air, and land, and we're going to make sure that when we're done with this war, Hamas won't be able to to attack anymore. It is a war to eliminate Hamas", he says.

Israel has blockaded Gaza for several days and according to aid organizations, there is a very serious humanitarian situation in the city. International mediators are trying to reach an agreement to allow the passage of humanitarian aid, but so far this has not been achieved. Mr. Danon says that the aim is to create humanitarian corridors.

"We are working with other parties to create humanitarian corridors. We want to support the civilian population. We understand that they are prisoners of Hamas, so we urge them not to stay near the headquarters of Hamas, but to leave further away".

According to the United Nations, more than 1 million Palestinians, about 60 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip, have left their homes as a result of the conflict./ VOA