'There are 400 people from Turkey stranded in Gaza under attack'
Following the 'Aqsa Tempest' operation initiated by Palestinian resistance groups against Israel on October 7, Israel's 'Operation Iron Swords' against Gaza is continuing on its seventh day today (October 13.)
Israel, conducting intense aerial bombardments on Gaza, is also preparing for a ground operation. Ahead of a potential ground operation, Israel has called for 1.1 million people to evacuate their current locations and move to the southern part of Gaza within 24 hours.
It has been claimed that over 400 citizens of Turkey are stranded in the Gaza Strip, which is under attack by Israel.
A citizen who contacted bianet, wishing to remain anonymous, expressed that their father is stranded in Gaza and said, "We are in contact with the Consulate General of Turkey in Jerusalem. They told us that over 400 citizens of Turkey are stranded in Gaza, but they are not able to do anything."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkey's Consulate General in Jerusalem have not yet responded us yet regarding this matter despite having asked them through phone and e-mail.
"My father has relocated four times"
The citizen mentioned that their father in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip has had to change locations four times due to Israeli airstrikes.
"We were able to have a brief phone call this morning. There's no electricity, and cell phones usually have poor reception. After Israel's 'evacuate the area' call, there is a rush towards the south of Gaza. However, just two days ago, Israel had targeted the vicinity of the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt," he said.
"They were asked to go to Rafah"
The citizen also shared an email sent to them by the Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem with bianet, which included the following information:
"The email states, 'At this stage, there is no international evacuation plan from Gaza.' It mentions that the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt is open, but due to the quota imposed by Egypt, there is a long waiting queue for passage. They asked for the identity information of my father and other family members with him. They wrote that if they go to Rafah, they will contact Gaza and Egyptian authorities to facilitate their exit. However, there has been no development yet. We are very concerned."
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the number of displaced individuals in Gaza due to Israeli bombings has exceeded 423,000 people. The Palestinian Ministry of Health, on the other hand, reported that 1,537 people have lost their lives, and 6,612 people have been injured in Israel's attacks on Gaza. (VC/PE)