Poignant testimonies: the situation in Gaza seen from France
For several weeks, the Gaza Strip has been the scene of violence and bombings which have caused the deaths of numerous people. For those who live far from these tragic events, worry and anguish are omnipresent. This is the case of Sarah, Saïd and Yasser, Gazans living in France and who are closely following developments in the situation. They agreed to speak to France 24 to share their feelings and concerns about their loved ones who remained there.
Since the start of the bombings, Sarah, Saïd and Yasser have lived in daily fear of receiving bad news from their family in Gaza. For these Gazans in France, Israeli military operations and the blockade imposed on Gaza for many years have already made the daily lives of their loved ones very difficult. But the recent escalation of violence has amplified their concern and plunged them into deep anguish.
Sarah says she spends her days glued to the news, looking for news about her family in Gaza. She consults the pages of the Arab media which publish the lists of the dead, hoping not to find the names of her loved ones there. Unfortunately, she recently discovered that her father had lost his uncle, along with his entire family, in a bombing while they were trying to flee to the south. The situation is critical for his family members who live in the family building in Asqula, Gaza City. Some managed to flee to Rafah, but for her invalid grandmother, it was impossible to move through the ruins. Sarah feels helpless in the face of a situation where her loved ones don’t feel safe anywhere, particularly due to the lack of water.
Saïd and Yasser also share the same concerns. Their loved ones live in terror of the bombings, some have lost neighbors or witnessed tragic scenes while trying to help other people. They experience this situation from a distance and feel helpless in the face of the impossibility of acting to support their family.
But the feeling of helplessness is also reinforced in France. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been banned by the government, preventing Gazans from expressing themselves freely and demonstrating peacefully to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to hostilities. Despite this ban, around 3,000 people gathered at Place de la République in Paris to express their solidarity with the Palestinians, particularly the Gazans.
This ban and the feeling of injustice in the face of the suffering of their family and their people generate deep sadness and a feeling of incomprehension in Sarah, Saïd and Yasser. They feel excluded and deprived of their freedom of expression and their right to peaceful protest.
The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, and the bombs continue to fall. Gazans in France, like many others around the world, hope that the violence will soon end and that peaceful solutions can be found to end this cycle of suffering and destruction.
In conclusion, the testimonies of Sarah, Saïd and Yasser reflect the distress and anguish felt by many Gazans living abroad. The situation in Gaza is worrying, and it is important that the international community mobilizes to put an end to this escalation of violence and find lasting solutions for the people of Gaza. Freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate peacefully must also be respected to allow everyone to express themselves and defend their beliefs.