'Total panic, total confusion: We are seeing a human catastrophe unfolding before our own eyes'
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00:00 Now the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with the same population density as London and now more
00:07 Than two million people there are living with little to no food water
00:12 electricity or medical supplies the Palestinian Health Ministry says Gaza is facing a humanitarian and health
00:19 Catastrophe the ministry reports more than 1,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes a third of them children
00:27 For more let's cross to Marwan Jilani secretary-general of the Palestinian Red Crescent
00:32 He is in Ramallah in the West Bank in the Palestinian territories. Thank you so much for joining us
00:38 I want to just start by asking you what you're hearing from your staff family friends in Gaza right now
00:45 Well our staff
00:48 Overwhelmed stressed out
00:50 Devastated
00:53 We have our hospital in Gaza City and called hospital we have
00:58 five patients on intensive care plus additional patients who are receiving care there and
01:05 What's more we have a number of people who have sought refuge in the hospital
01:11 They are not leaving they are staying in the hospital. There is a total panic
01:16 total confusion
01:19 People don't know what to do. A lot of people are refusing to leave and
01:24 Of course our staff and volunteers are there. They are still providing the services in the hospital
01:31 We run the emergency medical services
01:34 They are also trying to do their best to reach out to those injured and those
01:40 Who need medical attention, but it is it is an impossible task. We just issued an appeal to the world
01:49 We are seeing a humanitarian
01:51 Catastrophe unfolding before our own eyes right now. So we do appeal for
01:58 The the end of this madness
02:03 Pause for the humanitarian community the humanitarian organization
02:09 To provide assistance to get in food and water are running out
02:15 Fuel is running out and on top of this order that came and and just left the people
02:21 Stranded not knowing really where to go because there is no safe place in Gaza
02:27 And and already a lot of Palestinians living in Gaza were in camps without permanent
02:34 homes, so
02:36 What does this evacuation look like for them?
02:39 Well, it's true three-quarters of Gaza
02:44 People are refugees in the first place. They are refugees from
02:48 1948 and their descendants they live as you said in your report in the most densely populated
02:54 Area in the world. They have already evacuated many of them from the north to Gaza City
03:01 They are staying with relatives. There are more than
03:06 350,000 people staying in schools
03:11 Where you know run by another law, but I understand that even the management of those schools have left them there
03:18 without
03:19 Any management of these shelters so very soon people will have no water no food in these
03:26 schools, which they have sought refuge there and
03:29 And still they they are now being asked to even go further and and leave
03:36 So you're talking about one one million people living in in in a time frame
03:41 Now of about 10 hours, which is impossible. It is impossible to do that and
03:47 Also, what is more difficult is for us medical teams
03:52 What do we do with the with the patients with the wounded? What do we do with the people with disabilities?
03:59 What do you do? What do we do with the elderly people? How do we evacuate them? We don't have the means
04:05 The roads are broken and we don't have the fuel to run
04:09 Cars and buses to get these people out
04:12 You mentioned that there are a significant amount of people who are refusing to leave. Is that because they are heating?
04:20 The calls from Hamas to stay or what are the different reasons that are keeping people there despite the dangers?
04:27 Look what we are listening from people. We are talking about ordinary people
04:33 civilians
04:34 Who have nothing to do with Hamas or any other political faction?
04:37 There are people who have been evacuated a number of times
04:41 Who as you said mostly are refugees in the first place and who have already left their homes?
04:48 sought refuge somewhere else and
04:50 Maybe for the for the second or third time in these last few days
04:55 So they know and they are asking where do we go?
05:00 There are people who have been killed while they are on the move. So many people are saying look, let's die in dignity
05:07 Let's let me die in my home rather than die in
05:11 On the road where I have no place to go. So there is no safety. There are no safe heavens
05:17 There are no safe corridors
05:20 There is an order for people to leave 1 million people to leave in 24 hours while the compartment is
05:27 still ongoing
05:30 And there is no there is no instruction to say this is a safe place
05:35 or this is a safe corridor where you can use used to leave and
05:39 Again, what they leave to the south and then what's next people expect that even the south?
05:47 Will be after they move from the north the south turn will come very soon and they will continue
05:53 To be on the run for for endless number of days
05:57 I want to ask you finally what life looks like where you are in the West Bank right now because I
06:04 Imagine that since this war began life has changed
06:07 drastically there as well
06:09 What life has changed for us as as as our colleagues are under under constant?
06:16 pressure under constant fire
06:19 We have lost four of our colleagues from the paramedics
06:25 Two days ago, so we are also stressed out besides this
06:29 We also run the ambulance service in the West Bank and for the last few days
06:34 We have been dealing with seven to eight people who are killed every day. So we have to be there
06:40 we have to provide the medical attention and
06:43 Emergency medical service to those people who are also in the West Bank where there are so many flashpoints and especially today
06:51 There are so many
06:53 demonstrations there are so many
06:55 confrontations between
06:58 Palestinians and between the Israeli army in different places of the of the West Bank
07:03 Marwan Jelani secretary-general of the Palestine Red Crescent. Thank you so much for joining us
07:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]