Stranded in Rafah as an Israeli Invasion Looms

from The New York Times I'm Sabrina. tavernes and this is the. daily in four months of War Israel has. regularly warned residents of the Gaza. Strip to move South for. safety as a result more than a million. gazin about half the population of the. entire Enclave have ended up in the city. of. Rafa now as the war enters its fifth. month.

prime minister Benjamin n yahu has said. that the next phase of Israel's fight. against Hamas would be in Rafa and. ordered the military to draw up plans to. evacuate it but Rafa is the Southernmost. city in the Gaza Strip pinned between. the Egyption border and the fighting. further north and it is not clear where. the people Sheltering there would. evacuate. to today two Gins on life in Rafa.

it's Tuesday February. [Music]. 20th hi is this. Gada yes hi G this is Sabrina tavernes. from The New York Times from the daily. podcast can you speak yes for sure can.

you hear me well I can hear you well I. can okay where am I speaking to you. right now where are you I'm I'm RAF RAF. City south of Gaza. Strip I hear somebody behind. you yeah this is the family actually oh. who's in the family yeah my sisters my. nieces all of us like girls inside one. home how many are you we are about like. 20 oh wow 20.

yeah Gada can you identify yourself for. me tell me your name your age and your. profession yeah yes I'm Al tomorrow will. be my birthday so I'll be 38 tomorrow. Happy Birthday yes thank you and I work. as freelancer journalist here in Gaza I. used to work for international. NOS um yep that's it so you say you're.

in Rafa right can you describe Rafa. right now for us what does it look like. what do you see around you when you go. out onto the street well I was like. about 10 minutes ago I was out in the. street I was going to provide the family. here with some Essentials and supplies. some food some maybe it's some chicken. or meat because we are running out of. these supplies maybe some private. essential for me as a girl and for the. girls here private Essentials for you as.

a woman meaning. tampons supplies for when you have your. period yes even we can hardly find these. Essentials and you know it's overcrowded. like you cannot even walk in the streets. you even like have to tell the person in. front of you or beside you just to move. a little bit just to move a little bit. can I go through yeah it's very. difficult for us to walk so this is the. situation here people are living inside.

tents lots of shelters you can see. around you schools are full of displ. people yeah this is the situation here. in Rafa City and did you find what you. needed not all of it actually for me I. was looking for a bag and I found. something local they made it by. themselves and it was bad quality but I. have to buy it just to put my stuff. inside if there is like another. displacement again.

so I have to buy. it you've moved how many times in. all this is the sixth time I. think yeah it's very. difficult moving from City to a city and. being in. shelters I didn't expect. this. [Music]. yeah on the morning of October 7th G.

woke up in her apartment in Gaza City to. the news of the attack in Israel. everyone is like posting what's going on. what's going on what's going on no one. knows at that time what's happening. after maybe at 10: we know exactly. what's happening and she immediately. started making plans with her siblings. and I had brother and I told him just. wake up there is something dangerous is. happening right now we need to think. what we are going to do this war will be.

a disaster I said something in Arabic. it's like we are going to eat. [Music]. it we're going to eat. [ __ ] yes like the destruction will be. more than you can ever. imagine so then after one week of. bombardment of chillings of a stries. yeah we realized that I had to evacuate. my home with my sister and I have to go.

to aifa hospital I spent three days. there leing in front of bathroom on the. ground and actually I hate hospitals so. I went down and I was walking and I saw. like they are bringing buddies in white. bags they are just carbs yeah and I. smell the blood and it was so disgusting. just to smell the blood is smell of.

death is around you you know yeah I. couldn't bear this uh situation and I. want to go to another place so the day. they announced that the evacuation to. the South I told my sister we have to. flee we have to go like it's the wor is. coming and we ended at place in Middle. area and after the one week that we. spent in the middle area we also. evacuated to.

city and did you have enough supplies. clothes food water was there something. in particular that you wished you would. had my. daughters I'm sorry say it again I have. two daughters I'm a divorced woman and. at that time they were with their father. and I told him like can I take them with. me he told many they will be safe with. me you have too much work to do and you. have also to take care of your father.

and your sisters they will be saved with. me I'm the man and they can be with and. and we can like come after you but he. couldn't so my daughters they still in. North Gaza your daughters are still in. North. Gaza yes oh my goodness. Gada I know that's why I don't want to. leave. Gaza do you know if they're okay yeah. yeah they are okay thank God I'm just up. on them I'm trying to call their.

father but the connection is so. bad how old are they. got so the older one she will be on the. 17th of February she will be 11 and the. youngest one she will be next week she. will be nine oh they're. little yeah for. sure and you know now the hunger the. hunger now and the famine and north of G.

they don't have much food actually they. are running of food so I wish like the. roads are open now maybe I will the. first one to go back I will go I cannot. Bear all of this pain actually it's so. hard for me to be away with them yeah I. want to be with them I want to and I. know they are experienc so much fears. and Hing things but I want to be with. them hug them love them take care of. them uh you know you know the.

situation why haven't they evacuated. Gada well the you know even my sister he. didn't evacuate another brother he. didn't evacuate my father he didn't. evacuate they didn't expect that it will. be like this. situation they got. stuck yeah and I have to tell you that I. lost my brother with his wife and. daughter and one of the air Stripes yeah.

H also my father I lost him 3 weeks ago. he died because like of hunger he. couldn't have his diabetes. medications and uh he has like a stroke. brain stroke so uh he even like he got. injured in one of the air strikes it was. near the house he was in yeah we lost. him like three weeks. ago I'm sorry. K. yeah and I have a little she's younger.

than me and she's a pregnant maybe this. week. she's will deliver her baby and there is. no hospitals over there and we managed. to call her like 3 days ago and by video. call finally and believe me I didn't. know her she was like an old woman like. her eyes have some dark circles she was. very weak and very thin actually she. doesn't look like she's a pregnant she's. a ninth month pregnant she told me like.

I don't know how can I deliver my. baby God that must be very frightening. for. her for sure yeah and he has also. another child he just maybe two and a. half years oh wow so she's caring for a. two-year-old as. well. yes G going back to your own story of. evacuating so if I'm counting right when. did you get to Han yunice you'd been on.

the road for about two weeks at that. point right yeah and the first week is. so hard for me the first week we have to. build a tent for us because the. buildings inside the shelter they were. all very crowded so we prefer to build a. tent so I'm living inside the tent it's. not like a camping tent the first night. we didn't take any covers any blankets. anything with us so we had to put some.

nylons and Plastics and woods to cover. us and I remember one day I want to go. to bathroom I couldn't and I have to. wait for uh more than two hours in the. line to go to bathroom so then I went to. one of the buildings and there was a. guard there and he told me no this is. only for the worker who is working here. I told him I need to go to bathroom he. told me now you can I told him I'm not. talking about taking your heart or. taking your eyes I'm asking to go to.

bathroom I opened the door and went and. he was shouting on me I told him I don't. care I'm a human I'm a woman and this is. my right yeah it's very humilated. actually you know this is the horrible. thing I can ever experience in my life. you know yeah like the a I cannot. control it the Shillings I cannot. control it but going to bathroom I'm. just feeling like uh.

I will argue I will fight I will do. anything I cannot. accept I. understand. yeah g how long did you spend in. hunis three months three months in. hunis yeah from 20 of October till the. 20 of. January and after that we woke up in.

early in the morning and I found news. they are coming close to the. shelter so I went to the tent where I. was living for 3 months and I told my. sister listen you have to come with me. back your luggage and we will go to ra. went out through the gates there was a. clashes behind us there was like. bulldozers Israeli bulldozers Israeli. tanks and and they open fire on people.

even like sniping shots and it was like. above our heads so I told her to run as. much as she can and yes we went like. from the same way I came and we directly. move to. Rafa it become like. night and we went through this road and. it was near to the Border I saw the. Egyptian side and I was saying you know.

this is the line between Egypt and Gaza. it was so painful for me to see that. only like 5 m like it's a w like 5 m and. this part is safe no Earth strikes. nothing they are having their own. country and there was lights actually. there were lots of. lights and this is was very painful for. me to feel like you are living all the. days inside the dark you are living.

inside. Darkness. yeah does it make you angry at Egypt. given that it could theoretically open. the border right allow people into. safety into the. light no why should I be angry on them I. mean they could let people in. right but okay hey if I'm in your home.

and I came to your. home this is your. prorities if I came without permission. would you allow for me right I'm not. defending them but this is their own. country okay we are under War but at. least we have the right to have our own. State our own. country so you're saying basically Egypt. has the right not to let people in. because people living in Gaza aren't. part of. Egypt. we are part of Palestine okay we are not.

part of egyp we are not playing to Egypt. we are not going to live in Egypt we. have our own country we want to be there. here why should we live to another. country if we want to spend a vacation. there okay let's go to Egypt all of us. but this is our country we have to stay. in our country as they live in their. country we have the right to live in our. country learn here work here build our. country if we live Gaza who will it stay.

here and what did you think when you saw. that news about a potential invasion of. Rafa uh I have no other place to. go honestly I'm I don't have any place. this is the last place that I can. evacuate to I don't have any other place. to go like I don't have like all my. friends houses they are full of people. or my relatives even so I'm running out. of places yeah this is the last option.

that we. have does it. feel a little bit like the end of things. like the end of what's happening the end. of the war. maybe I hope so well if it can be the. end I hope. so but not with the ground. Invasion. please. stop someone tell them to not to do this. I'm just like I'm expressing my.

feeling got the back in October when the. war first started we spoke to a woman. who was fleeing from the north and she. said it some point in our. conversation what do they want why don't. they just tell us what they want do they. want to just throw us into the sea like. just be honest and and don't keep us in. all of this pain tell us us what you. want to do with us does that resonate.

with you at. all yeah it's a game like we are playing. a game go there hide there don't go. there it's not a safe place we are. asking the same question again like tell. us to stay in this place and don't. come for me you are fighting with a. group okay what is my. fault it's not my fault just AO the. civilians just avoid Us by that group.

you mean. Hamas yes and you're fighting is with. them and what if the Israelis contention. that Hamas is in fact hiding among. civilians that that is a. tactic I know that that you are going to. say this questions I know I've been. asked like many times this. questions but at least try to avoid. us you are killing us. yeah we are following like the people.

the normal people the Civ they are. following their orders but whenever you. are going to a saer place the fighting. is following. you that's the game you're talking. about yeah it's a game like it's a game. you said it's a saer BL then the next. day you. are attacking the safe place you said. it's a safey place I'm not saying it's. the saf place you said go there to avoid.

the civilians but you came to the safe. place how can I believe. you what to. do but what will you do will you try to. run if you have to would. you tell me where to run tell me just. tell me where to go. [Music].

we'll be right. [Music]. back the isra military says it's rescued. two of the hostages abducted by Hamas. during a rain in Rafa overnight dozens.

of Palestinians were reported to have. been killed in the early hours of Monday. Israel's offensive in Rafa looks set to. continue IDF appears poised to expand. its ground war further south where. thousands of civilians have led for. safety safe what does the word even mean. in Gaza. [Music]. today actually it's obvious that we are. not dead because what happened last. night but there is no other place to go.

there is no other place to leave we. don't know what shall we. do the day after an Israeli military. raid into Rafa we talked to Hussein AA. he'd been living in Rafa for about 3. weeks starting from my house the area at. Gaza City to another neighborhood. another neighborhood another Governor to. another governor and finally here. in Hussein had been placed four times. since the War Began and in Rafa he'.

rented a house that was under. construction without windows or doors. for his wife and three children to live. in actually this is my kids next to me. my eldest daughter Le 9 years old my son. mahm 6 years old and then 16 months 16. months old. yep oh. Hussein tell me what are you doing for.

food now what are you. eating actually we are in suffering for. every basic need for water because each. day you are going to fill the water you. are going to carry kind of gallons for. path for. everything uh there is huge lack of gas. cooking gas so people are depending on. wood Starting Fire for cooking what do.

they cook actually actually I I get. canned food beans uh canned meat Etc and. all the people are just eating the. canned food actually and the best thing. we are facing for from my perspective. during the war actually I lost around 30. kilos it's the only good thing happened. to. me you lost 30 kilos that's that's a lot. of weight to.

lose yeah I needed to lose it actually. and it's it's it's the only good thing. happened to me. oh. husin hi my goodness it's very difficult. to get. through yes thank God there is kind of. connection right now even if it's very. hard to call anyone if basic need.

is there's a challenge. actually it sounds like there's honking. in the background who saying what is. that where are you right. now actually right now I'm down on the. street a lot of clouds here imagine. there is more than million people are. here this small City at the border with.

Egypt what does it look like it's dark. and a lot of crowds of people just. walking trying to find food find water. just walking around us with no Direction. with no destination for them actually I. see the people like. Z walking on the street they are walking. in a. way they are looking like not being.

alive you. know just undescribable actually because. their faces doesn't show. like they look like. just if they are lost thousands of. people all of them are lost in. the. yeah are you. lost yeah for sure I'm lost because I. don't know what's going to happen I.

don't know what shall I do you know it. was a very scary night last night yeah a. lot of bombardment and Shilling started. a lot of shooting we were sleep actually. and all of us woke up due to the sound. the house was shaking due to the boming. and my son and daughter were scaming and. asking me for hugging them and hiding.

them and I just hugged them and found. the most safe place which is near the St. and we just set in there playing to be. alive to be safe and all of us were. scared to be shot or be bomed for no. reason the morning I got to go outside. to get kind of the grocery for the house. and my daughter said to me we don't need.

to eat just to stay with us it's very. dangerous to get outside don't. move yeah and I convinced her that I'm. I'm big man I can manage myself and we. got to eat and I'm gonna be back don't. worry about me just be a live here and. listen to your. mommy. yeah and did you find food yeah I went.

to a shelter next to and I found tomato. I bought can meat I bought the spaget. and went back to the home and did the. B because it was a very difficult a. friend told me that there were more than. 70 people are killed in ra last night so.

I'm thinking that it could be off any. day we should. live the best lives we can. live and enjoy every second and a minute. as much as we. can so I got to prepare something. special for. them so you got the. spaghetti.

[Music]. yeah Hussein what was your life like. before all of this started before. October 7th tell me a little bit about. you. actually I was very. busy I just finished building my house. which was suppos to move into on the 7th.

of October oh wow B the fiture and. everything and it was to receive the. furniture on 7th of October oh my. goodness but I didn't receive the furnit. and my new house is totally. destroyed actually it took me around two. years to finish it I got to design every. corner with the my wife what colors to.

use what materials to. use and actually it was very beautiful. actually we did a great kitchen and open. kitchen to the living room and we had a. big balcony and we we were thinking that. this big balcony would be place to sit. in drinking coffee and tea and leaving. fresh.

air and. [Applause]. uh what not talking. about. nothing. oh.

sorry for that are you. okay alhamdulillah yeah I'm. fine what are you doing now where are. you going to. go I'm just. walking right. now like a. z thank God that it's dark no one can. see the tears on my.

actually for me at least I got money I. can't buy food I got a roof above me. yeah I'm not yeah but imagine the other. people are sleeping on the streets. sleeping on tents sleeping by the. seashore here they got no toilet they. got no B. SS and it's not alive for humans.

actually a lot of diseases a lot of. mantion MH and the people are really. suffering here they are really suffering. it's inhuman what we are living in and. we did nothing not our fault we did. nothing we are just normal people just. trying to live our. Liv why are we here why this is.

happening to. us sometimes I I. think my kids should be at school should. be. studying are they going to join schools. again there will be. schools there to live normal. life you know at the beginning I tried. to convin my children that we are doing.

kind of camping and my daughter just. kept to tell me that no it's not camping. if it's camping at least we should have. living bags how is it going to be. camping people do cing at the forest but. there is no Forest we should start fire. and we need marshmallow to do on fire. and there is nothing to do we are just. living on the street it's not. camping actually I don't get the proper.

answer for her and I just said to her. that you should enjoy your time with. your family at least we are all together. and we are surviving yeah it's kind of. special experience we are living. together and you should enjoy. [Music]. it do you think they'll remember this. hin are you worried they'll remember.

this it's just called in their M and. won't disappear. actually are you hopeful that your. 16-month-old might not remember. this hope so maybe he he won't remember. it but I guess that he is going to live. its effect on his. life because why his family got no house.

there is no proper life for him nor for. any child to live in there is. nothing and. actually when I see the pictures and the. videos of God we used to live it's. totally destroyed so where is he going. to. live it's not a proper place to live in. and it will affect him deeply affect him.

living in such D. situation. yeah it's their childhood it's it's my. life it's our. lives which is joing from. us what does that feel. like no no. power nothing no choices we don't know.

what to. do this didn't declare any safe place to. go. to you. know so we are just sitting here waiting. for our. destiny could be good we don't know. maybe we are ad we. we don't know it's our destiny it's our.

[Music]. F sleeping. bag. can't.

flash fish. [Music]. marshmallow.

I just remember the sil questions we use. to play in our childhood who will you. choose to save when never imagine that. we can be in a real. situation where we got to. choose unfortunately I can't save. anyone I want only can try to save one.

two three at. maximum now I'm thinking about. evacuating my kids to save them from the. hell we are living. in a day after we spoke to Hussein he. sent a voice memo saying that he was. trying to decide whether to get his. family out of Gaza through Egypt the. border is officially closed but gazin. say that with enough money you can get. people. out.

evacuating one person from. Gaza cost around. [Music]. $5,000 like it's very hard to. decide and I cannot make a. decision to try to evacuate my kids so. they can be safe they can go to.

schools but they are going to be far. away from. me which I don't know if I can. [Music]. handle or all of us just can stay here. together facing the same. [Music]. disty. really hard to take a.

decision so. difficult would you do. that I don't think so why why would you. not. leave first of all because of my. daughter and. then I'm so attached to this land. actually I love Gaza. but even to save your own.

life my daughter's life is more. important in my. life yeah I will not be comfortable. outside. Gaza on Sunday Hussein made his decision. he said he paid to get his wife and. children across the border but he said. he stayed behind to take care of his.

elderly parents and to pay back the. money he borrowed to get his family to. safety G remains in. [Music]. Rafa and over the weekend Netanyahu said. that negotiations over a ceasefire and a. potential hostage release with Hamas had. reached an impass and that his.

government was pushing ahead with plans. for an invasion of Rafa despite. International pressure to call it. [Music]. off we'll be right. back. here's what else you should know.

today on Monday the Widow of Alex naali. the Russian opposition leader who died. in a Russian prison on Friday appeared. on her husband's YouTube channel for the. first time pledging in a fiercely. emotional tone to continue the fight. that her husband began.

Julia Nal who is 47 and had long shunned. the spotlight urged her husband's. followers to take action however small. against the regime of Vladimir Putin. saying quote I ask you to share my rage. anger and hatred of those who have dared. to kill our future she said that the. best way to honor her husband Legacy was. to fight more desperately and furiously.

than. before meanwhile the Russian authorities. are refusing to release naval's body to. his mother in a remote Arctic town close. to the prison where he died they told. her that her son's body would be subject. to a quote chemical Examination for the. next 14. days today's episode was produced by. Michelle Bona Lindsay Garrison and. Stella tan it was edited by Paige cowt.

and Liz oalen fact checked by Susan Lee. and Michelle Bona contains original. music by Dan Powell Marian Lozano and. Cory Shel and was engineered by Alyssa. Moxley special thanks to Hiba yasbeck. and yer. alhalo our theme music is by Jim. brunberg and Ben Lanser of wonderly.

[Music]. that's it for the daily I'm Sabrina. Tavern see you. [Music]. tomorrow.