"It’s just an empty land" : What does al Mawasi look like? "humanitarian zone" proposed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip? Franceinfo

With the end of the ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worrying some NGOs and international bodies. The fighting and bombings are increasingly targeting the south of the enclave, where the population has sought refuge.

Published on February 12, 2023 2:36 p.m

Reading time: 1 min

Smoke rises from buildings hit by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, following the resumption of fighting between Israel and Hamas, December 2, 2023. (JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP)

The resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip following the end of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and the intensification of bombings are endangering the survival of residents, many of whom are refugees in the southern two-thirds of the Palestinian enclave. “Hell on earth has returned to Gaza,” said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva.

After calling for people to leave the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army asked residents of the eastern areas of Khan Younes to evacuate to the south. For several weeks it has been suggesting that the Palestinians settle in a safe strip of land that it has declared a “humanitarian zone”.

#عاجل You have the option to start looking for a new website. I am no longer able to do this

You have the opportunity to deal with your child’s time and safety ، ويعلن عن توصيته بالتنقل إلى… pic.twitter.com/PCe3NG1g5X

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 18, 2023

This enclave is called al-Mawasi and is located in the south of the Gaza Strip, a few kilometers from the Egyptian border. It is a rectangle pressed against the sea, one kilometer wide and 14 kilometers long. It lies next to the area where Israel’s former colonies were located before the Gaza Strip was evacuated in 2005.

“This area is not safe”

A total of 1,400 Bedouins live on this flat land, which is cut up by the walls of large estates. Khaled, a Gaza refugee in Rafah, traveled there on Friday to find a house to rent. According to him, there is nothing there to accommodate hundreds of thousands of displaced people: “This area is not 100% safe because there are no signs of civilization, that is, we cannot find any clinic or hospitals, no pharmacies, no shop, no bakery. It’s just an empty land.”

In its presentation, the Israeli army claimed that humanitarian assistance was being provided in the area. But NGOs and humanitarian organizations have initially distanced themselves from this idea of ​​concentrating the population in a tiny part of the enclave.