International Desk: Khan Younis, a Palestinian city south of Gaza. The city has seen an influx of Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza. He came here by car, horse, van, or on foot as he could. Al-Jazeera news.
When they arrived, they saw that the population of a city that was overwhelmed by people had doubled in one night. There is no preparation to handle the pressure of the millions of people gathered. Every street in the city, every house, has empty people and people everywhere. There is nowhere else to go.
The Israeli army last Friday ordered 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to move south within 24 hours.
Of these 1.1 million, 400,000 have moved south along the Salah al-Din road in the past 48 hours, Hamas said.
But Gaza is a very small territory. Blocked from all sides. Isolated from the outside world. There is very limited space for anyone to run away and take shelter. There is no guarantee of safety.
As a result, many disoriented Gazans whose homes were blown up by bombs, those who lost everything, and those who were scared gathered in Khan Younis. No one knows what will happen to them next.
4 lakh people live in Khan Younis city. By Sunday night, the number of people there had risen to more than 1 million. These additional people came from the north as well as the east. Those who suffered terrible losses in the war of 2014 Every one of these people needs shelter and food. And they don’t know for how long.
The meager resources that Khan Yunis has are also on the verge of running out. The condition of the city is already critical. With more people suddenly pouring in, the whole system started to collapse.
The city’s main hospital, which lacks essential supplies, now has to accommodate the sick and wounded from the north. The hospital has now become a shelter for refugees.
Refugees line the corridors. And doctors are treating new people injured by Israeli bombs.
People cannot be blamed for crowding hospitals. Because hospitals are the safest place during war. Its security is protected by international law. From that point of view, the people who got shelter in the hospital can be said to be lucky. At least for the time being, apparently.
Doctors say that there is nothing to be said for treating the newly injured in the hospital. Only 300 ml of water is allocated for patients per day. There is nothing to give the refugees.
Elsewhere, residents of Khan Younis are giving way to newcomers. Many people live in a very small space in Khan Yunis. Now there are piles of people.
A small apartment, already overcapacity, has now become home to 50 to 60 people. No one
