An Indian woman residing in Gaza with her family on Tuesday requested an immediate departure from the war-torn, Hamas-ruled territory out of fear for their lives amid ongoing Israeli bombings.
“We are facing a brutal war here and everything is being destroyed in bombarded in a matter of seconds. We are paying the price of this conflict as civilians are being targeted,” Lubna Nazir Shaboo, an Indian from Kashmir living in Gaza, told PTI over the phone.
As of the fourth day of the Israel-Hamas battle, at least 1,600 people have died on both sides. On the Gaza side, 788 people were killed and 4,100 injured.
Shaboo, who is living with her husband, Nedal Toman, and youngest daughter, Karima, in Gaza, said the “water supply was officially cut off” in addition to electricity. Her two elder children live and study in Cairo, Egypt.
Internet connection in Gaza is also poor and only those with their limited net packs are able to establish contact with people outside. Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “I have given an order – Gaza will be under complete siege. There will be no electricity, food or fuel [delivered to Gaza]. We are fighting barbaric [terrorists] and will respond accordingly,” Gallant said.
