Israel asks 2 million Palestinians to move Al-Mawasi, an area smaller than London Airport

2023-12-08 23:36:44Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Israel asks 2 million Palestinians to move Al-Mawasi, an area smaller than
Camp in Gaza

The Israeli army has called on some 2 million civilians in the Gaza Strip to head south to Al-Mawasi, which is just a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It has few buildings and is mainly made up of sand dunes and farmland and is smaller than London's Heathrow Airport.

According to the latest reports, 1.8 million civilians have been displaced and headed south, but they say they feel confused, as the Israeli army frequently changes the location of safe places, while there is a lack of basic life services such as water, food and electricity.

The area designated as safe by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is only 8.5 square kilometers, which the BBC compares to the approximate area of ​​London Airport. Reem Abd Rabu, is one of the many people who left Gaza a few weeks ago.

She first traveled to Khan Younis, but after nearby houses were bombed, she said she felt she had to go to the place the Israeli military identified on a map as safe.

Reem told the BBC that al-Mawasi was an abandoned place, not a place for human beings. She thought she would be safe from heavy bombing and fighting, but when she arrived she found little or no basic services.

The IDF has asked civilians to move to al-Mawasi on at least 15 occasions on social media, the last announcement being on December 2.

Civilians say changing messages have made it difficult for them to know exactly where to find safety. Mona al-Astal, who also went to al-Mawasi, is a doctor and she points out that some diseases such as chicken pox, lice and intestinal infections have spread among children.

International agencies have expressed concern about the stability of humanitarian zones in Gaza as fighting and airstrikes spread over a large part of the territory. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the plan for al Mawasi was a recipe for disaster.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said trying to pack so many people into such a small area with such little infrastructure or services will significantly increase health risks for people. The United Nations also has broader concerns about the plan.


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