“Very scary, there are no bomb shelters”: a Belarusian woman living in the Gaza Strip described the situation

– To be honest, I’m not in a position to talk about anything at all right now. Moreover, the Internet and electricity work intermittently,” the woman apologized. – Yes, and it’s not safe now.

I promised not to touch politics. We will not mention the name of our interlocutor either. Under these conditions, she agreed to continue the conversation.

– Russia is considering the possibility of evacuating its citizens from the Gaza Strip. Will Belarusians and Ukrainians be taken away too?

– Yes, the Russian embassy collects lists. Many Belarusians and Ukrainians also leave their data to them. Lists are formed in groups in messengers, plus we send data to the embassies’ email.

Many people had problems with their documents: the deadline had expired, they didn’t have time to get an exit certificate, etc. The Belarusian embassies in Israel and Egypt also collect lists to know about theirs here. But, most likely, a separate evacuation for Belarusians is not expected. Everyone on the Russian side will fly away.

– Why are there so many Russian-speaking citizens in Gaza?

“Most people here have families.” In the 80s and 90s, unions between local medical students who studied in the USSR and our girls were popular.

– Surely not everyone has loved ones left in their homeland?

– There are those who have no one in their homeland. In general, it is problematic for Ukrainians to return to their place. Therefore, they want evacuation only to Egypt.

– Were citizens of other states taken out?

– I know that Norway brought out its own on the second day of the war. Mostly those who were in Gaza for work.

“Electricity for an hour a day”

– How do you live now? Do sirens sound before rocket attacks in Gaza?

“There are no sirens here, and there are no bomb shelters either.” Everyone is sitting in their homes. People from border areas moved to relatives further away from the border. But they bomb everywhere. There is no safe place in Gaza right now. Nobody knows where the next flight will be.

– Israel has stopped supplying you with electricity. How do you get by?

– There was a problem with electricity before. It was given to the districts for 8 hours a day. That is, when in one area there is 8 hours in the morning, then in the second area there is no electricity at all. Then vice versa.

But now electricity is provided for only 1-4 hours per day. And also by region. The rest of the time, generators run for several hours using the fuel that is still left here. But soon the fuel will run out.

For example, on Sunday we were given electricity for an hour at night. I didn’t even have time to wash it. On Monday we were given electricity for a couple of hours from our own power plant, which still runs on fuel.

– Are the cars stopped too?

– Cars are driven only when absolutely necessary. In the first days of the war, people bought everything in reserve. And gasoline too.

– The water supply from Israel to Gaza has been interrupted. Are you completely without water?

– Problems with water have already begun in some areas. In the region, tanks are used to store water. For now, what we managed to fill remains there. There are places where special motors pumped water from wells. But if there is no electricity, the motors will not be able to pump.

In Gaza, people have been living in a state of war for many years, so everyone has stocked up on drinking water for a while. But it won’t last long. It’s the same with products. Those who had time, purchased the necessary things, things that can be stored for a long time. The hardest thing is for people who fled the bombings and who have no relatives. They were located in schools. It is unlikely that these families had time to purchase food. Mostly everyone was grabbing documents.

Shops are practically closed. Schools are closed. Nobody goes to work either.

– Is anyone delivering humanitarian aid?

– There is no humanities department. In addition, on Monday, UN warehouses where food was stored for distribution to the poor were bombed. In Gaza, every month poor families were given sugar, hummus, lentils, sunflower oil and milk powder.

– What is the situation with hospitals?

– Overcrowded. The wounded and injured are lying on the floor. Such a war has never happened before. I’m really scared. Planes fly overhead non-stop. They are bombing all over Gaza.

“We can’t get out of the region, they won’t let us out”

– What do the locals think about what happened?

– I don’t presume to speak for the locals. But in every home, in every family there are dead. Of course, everyone is afraid for their lives and their children.

– Israel urged residents to leave through the checkpoint “Rafah» in Egypt – it’s open? The news is contradictory.

– Only this one point works for departure. But from there, even in peacetime, it was possible to leave only on lists that were submitted a couple of months in advance. On Monday, people tried to leave. But those who were not on the lists were turned back. So it’s impossible to leave on your own. Well, it’s dangerous, cars can get damaged.

– Hamas announced mobilization – How does this happen?

– No one is announcing mobilization as such.

– Is anything known about the Israeli hostages who are being held captive by Hamas, where are they?

– They don’t say anything specific here. Yesterday there was information that a house was bombed, and four prisoners were allegedly killed there. They wrote that the hostages were fed. Women are treated better. I saw photos and videos of women in the premises. The men were lowered into the tunnels. But that was in the early days. I don’t know how it is now.

– Hamas said it would kill prisoners. What information do you have?

“There was no information here that they were doing this.”

– Are there any dead among the Russians in Gaza?

– I haven’t heard about the dead Russians. I know that one Ukrainian woman’s house was bombed on Monday. A Russian friend’s husband’s sister and all her children died. Banks, universities and houses were destroyed, especially many high-rise buildings.

– How are your days going now?

“We stay at home and don’t go out.” Children spend a lot of time on their phones, watching cartoons, so as not to react to explosions. When I have time, I distract them with something to do. But psychologically everything is very difficult.

I asked my interlocutor to photograph the situation in Gaza. She refused: “I don’t go outside. And no one is coming out now. Is it dangerous”.