No, the civilians in Gaza can’t just leave
Another war has begun, and the civilians have some (bad) options to choose from
None of us in the outside world imagined the simmering cauldron of Israel and Palestine boiling over the way it did on Oct 7. The attack on civilians by Hamas was horrifying, and now the Israeli declaration of War is likely to be extraordinarily painful, destructive, and long-winded.
On both sides, the emotions are so high, the need for vengeance is so strong, and the suffering is so sharp that I feel the calls for “peace and calm” are naive. Further violence is inevitable now. Israel has declared war, established a siege, and is preparing for an invasion.
It is likely to be a matter of several months or years: with drawn out urban warfare and no path for peace until “Hamas Leadership” is dismantled and a new set of agreements and leaders emerge that can lead to a peace treaty. It seems hopeless to wait for such a peace at the moment, but hope we must not give up. Until then, we can only try to help the civilians caught suffering in the middle of it all.
The United Nations and international rights groups have urged Israeli authorities to rescind the evacuation order, saying it was unworkable. I’m writing this to explore what the current situation implies.
The siege imposed by Israel is designed, in the words of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, to leave Gaza with “no electricity, no food, no water, no gas — it’s all closed.” On a tiny strip of land like Gaza, that is home to 2.3 million people, constant bombing, with a lack of food, water, and electricity means even the hospitals can’t keep people alive.
So, I’ve been researching what the civilians can actually do to survive.
It seems that a civilian in Gaza has to choose from a few bad options.
Israel asked for the northern part of Gaza to be evacuated. “Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
But evacuate where?
Look at the map below and you will notice that Gaza is a small territory surrounded by Israel, the Mediterranean Sea, and shares an 8 mile border with Egypt. It looks the only viable exit is a border crossing into Egypt, but the Egyptians are adamantly opposed to allowing Gazans to cross the border for fear the country could become sucked deeper into the crisis.
As Bobby Ghosh wrote poignantly about why people can’t just leave Gaza.
The first thing to consider is whether they want to. The vast majority of people living in Gaza are already refugees from towns and villages now in Israel and in the West Bank. Although there is little optimism they will return to their ancestral homes, most are keenly aware that the strip is the only place where they can cling to their identity as Palestinians. They fear that if they leave this last patch of homeland, they may not be able to — or allowed to — come back. To become a refugee twice removed is a fate few would welcome.
As a Gazan civilian, what could you do?
- Stay Home: Defiantly trying to live a normal life is dangerously untennable. There is no electricity, no water, and there are bombs dropping all around you. Both Hamas and Israeli forces will demand cooperation and threaten your family as the conflict continues.
- Head South of the Strip: Whether by foot, or donkey cart, bus, or ambulance. The path is fraught with danger as IEDs line the streets and Hamas discourages an evacuation. The open air prison of Gaza becomes smaller as people move south. Still, this is the only viable option.
- Flee to UN schools/ shelters: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has 224,000 refugees sheltering in their 92 schools in Palestine & only 11 days of supplies left to distribute. It is a crowded option but may work for the very short term.
- Seek a Hospital: Some 40,000 displaced Palestinians are now at the Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza City.
- Seek the Sea: Access to the Sea is blocked by Israeli forces. American forces have a fleet on standby in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Escape to Egypt: The Rafah border crossing to Egypt is closed or requires paperwork that a Gazan resident cannot obtain. The roads have been damaged leading up to the crossing, and there are security forces on the Gaza side unwilling to let people escape until their demands of lifting the siege and letting aid in are met. These demands change daily.
Palestinians flee in Gaza City, on Friday, after Israel called for the immediate relocation of 1.1 million people along the strip.
Desperate people make desperate choices.
The unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip was already at 44% in 2022. With a siege, no aid coming in, no way to escape, and fighting all around, the people will get increasingly desperate. There is a risk that more helpless people turn from civilian life to violence as the conflict drags on.
What can we do?
These are tough times, and no matter the pressure you’re under, recognize that your colleagues and friends may be struggling with these events, caused by forces outside of their control, and feeling helpless and despondent. What can we do as outsiders in this situation?
- we can donate money. Incredible work is being done by organizations like the UN relief works agency to support refugees and Seeds of Peace, which brings together youth of different racial, religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in community-building, dialogue. Seeds of Peace began by bringing together 46 Palestinians, Israelis, and Egyptians in 1993.
- we can be gentle on each other, at work and beyond. If you know people or work with people from Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, etc. reach out and express your solidarity. Help your people keep hope alive.
Caveats: I am not an expert, but I hold fond memories from visiting Israel years ago. I don’t support violence in any form and this is not a judgement on anyone’s actions. Please write to me and educate me if I got anything wrong in this piece.
