“We won’t get out”: a Belarusian woman from the Gaza Strip described the problems of evacuation

“They might get a couple of hours of silence, but there are no guarantees.”

Hundreds of Russians, and along with them Belarusians and Ukrainians, expressed a desire to evacuate from the Gaza Strip. But it seems that it will not be possible to leave the hot spot. According to residents of the Gaza Strip, they plan to take them out of Egypt, where people will have to get there on their own. In the current conditions, it is not possible to get to the checkpoint. The Belarusian woman described the situation.

Our interlocutor is a mother of many children, she is married to a Palestinian. The woman lives in the Gaza Strip in a relatively safe area. Her name is on the evacuation list. But the chances of getting to the evacuation flight are negligible.

“There is no exact date for our evacuation yet,” says the Belarusian woman. – We were told that the Russian plane would take off from Egypt, where we would have to get there on our own through a checkpoint. Perhaps they will knock out a couple of hours of silence for us, but there is no guarantee. Otherwise, we won’t get there. The consul also warned that only me and the children would be taken from here. My husband will stay. Although he had a residence permit in Belarus, it had long expired. It’s all hard…

– What is your situation now?

– We live far from the border, our city was not particularly damaged, only a few houses and a bank were bombed. The center of Gaza and the border areas are suffering the most. Belarusians who live closer to the center have left their homes. They are looking for somewhere to hide.

-Have they started burying the dead?

– They bury, but not en masse. Funerals take place without processions; the deceased are not brought into the mosque for prayer. I don’t know anything else, here women don’t participate in funerals and don’t go to the cemetery. Many bodies are in hospital morgues. The dead still need to be identified.

– The Gaza Strip is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Do you still have food and water?

– As long as there is fuel and the engines are running, life somehow continues. Residents were asked not to worry about water. They said that in many areas there are wells powered by solar panels. It is difficult to say whether it will be possible to provide the entire Gaza Strip with water. The only products available are those that can be stored for a long time – canned food, pasta, rice, sunflower oil. The last time I left the house was last weekend, when the war began. Then I bought everything I needed. After the electricity problems started, we prepared food from foods that spoil quickly. They gave the meat to friends. Due to the fact that the electricity is turned on for a couple of hours a day, we don’t use the refrigerator.

– Do residents of the Gaza Strip support Hamas or are there those who are against it?

– Hamas is not the only one here. Judging by social networks, some residents support them, but many do not approve of their actions; they are for other groups. My husband and I are beyond this policy. I can say for sure that ordinary people have no time for war, everyone is afraid for their lives. People just want to live and raise children.

– Have you thought about leaving here forever?

– Think. And, of course, we will leave. But for now we need to get out alive.