Extract from ABC News
An Australian man says he is risking his life to buy essentials for his family trapped in southern Gaza, after three failed attempts to escape the territory that is under intensifying aerial bombardment by Israeli forces.
Key points:
- The man said they were running out of medication for their son and food was hard to get
- The family of four has been moved to southern Gaza
- The government said it was trying to negotiate a way out for Australians in Gaza
The Adelaide man, his wife and their two children, aged seven and 10, were visiting relatives in Gaza for the first time in 12 years when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel by air, land and sea on October 7.
The man — who requested anonymity for security reasons because he works in a "sensitive industry" in Australia — said the four-week holiday, which was meant to end on October 20, had turned into a struggle for survival after he says Israeli aerial attacks destroyed the family home.
"One day we were at my in-law's and a warning came that the soccer ground across the street would be bombed," he said.
"We had 15 minutes to evacuate.
"We just ran away before the building next door [closer than the soccer field] was hit by an air strike.
"We ran away to my father's house and spent the rest of the week with my extended family, including my sister who lost her house. On Friday we were told just like 1.1 million other Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City and northern Gaza.
"We tried to ignore that warning until a four-storey building was hit less than 100-metres away. We panicked and weren't sure what to do. We ran to the closest hospital, spent the night sleeping on the floor before the hospital was ordered to evacuate by the morning.
"At this time, we had to move south of Gaza City. We have no petrol to put in the car and we were told by the hospital staff that we had to walk out of the city – that's a 10-kilometre hike with elders, children and women."
Israel says 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were killed in Hamas's attacks and more than 220 hostages were taken back to Gaza.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's retaliatory air and missile strikes have killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, with more than a million of the tiny territory's 2.3 million people displaced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said taking action in Gaza to stamp out Hamas was "do or die" for his country.
Family homes destroyed
He said a few days after leaving northern Gaza, their neighbourhood was targeted by air strikes and the family home and others like it were damaged or destroyed.
"It breaks my heart to see the house where I grew up, played, cried, laughed, studied, and celebrated all destroyed. My wife's house suffered the same fate," he said.
The man said even though his family survived the destruction, their mental state was "beyond horrible", with their wider families displaced from "lifelong houses we grew up in".
"We are terrified that we may not live until tomorrow … we are just recovering from a shocking bombing of a house 200 metres away in Al-Jnaina neighbourhood in Rafah," he said.
"Go south, they said — it will be safer there.
"The children are petrified … they didn't sleep last night [Sunday] due to the heavy bombing and the fear that they may lose their parents at any moment."
The family is now moving from place to place in southern Gaza to stay alive.
Water and electricity a big challenge
In response to the surprise attack on October 7, Israel has vowed a "total blockade" of the Gaza Strip.
The man said his family was experiencing the consequences of the blockade daily, saying they were running out of medication for their son and had dramatically reduced their daily intake of food and water due to shortages.
He said even if food and medication were available, they were running out of money to buy essentials, and he risks his life every time he leaves the house to go to the city centre where there are leftover goods.
"We are slowly starving," he said.
"For water, locals rely on an artesian water well at the local mosque. We queue up for a couple of hours to fill up our jerry cans and bottles."
The children's grandfather queues up for hours daily for the chance to get some bread from bakeries operating at minimum capacity, but some days he comes back empty-handed.
"Electricity is a big challenge," the man said.
"However, our neighbour has a humble diesel-operated generator which they run for an hour a day and provide us with a line. One hour is long enough for us to charge our devices, check the internet and do a few things around the house quickly."
Foreign minister's call to family
The family said they spoke to Foreign Minister Penny Wong about their predicament last week.
Following advice from the Australian government, the family travelled by car and on foot after petrol ran out to cross the southern Rafah border, but were turned away three times.
"Last week, I received a phone call from Senator Wong who reassured my family that they are doing their best … we are still waiting for those efforts to lead to a result," the man said.
He added that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had contacted them to say that the southern Rafah border would be opening, but they were devastated when they weren't able to cross into Egypt.
"We went to the border three times based on this advice but ended up returning home at the end of the day," he said.
The most recent attempt was last weekend.
Frustrations with Australian government
Senator Wong said there were 77 Australians, permanent residents and immediate family members known to be in Gaza, and the government was advocating with Israel and Egypt to secure safe passage out of the area.
DFAT told the ABC it was working to support the work of the US, Egypt and others to make the Rafah border crossing open for humanitarian purposes, including the passage of civilians.
"We are providing Australians in Gaza with the best possible information and options for their safety," the department said in a statement.
"We are providing $10 million in humanitarian assistance to provide essential supplies and support services for civilians in Gaza."
On Sunday, a number of trucks carrying essential supplies including water and food entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing for the second consecutive day.
It came after two weeks of the area being cut off, with the United Nations calling the deliveries a "glimmer of hope", but that "much, much more" was needed.
The family was hopeful the border opening would also allow civilians to pass, but that was not to be.
The corridor is once again closed, and the family said the aid had not reached them yet.
The man has also criticised the federal government's efforts to assist Australians in Gaza, saying he feels his family's lives were not as valued as Israeli lives.
"Have you seen Senator Wong's post on Instagram describing the situation in Gaza as 'challenging'? Is this the right word?" he said.
"I will try telling that to my dad who lost his big house that was the result of hard work for his entire life. I will try to tell that to my sister who lost her house in the war in 2021 and again in 2023."
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