Here’s a bit more of the material from the Guardian link provided by Exiled Child which discusses the challenge of determining whether it might be safer to remain in place in Gaza or to evacuate to a shelter or different home/neighborhood. For descriptions (including refugee situation at Greek Orthodox Church and personal narratives please use ink at bottom-
Please note this coverage is from July 22)
"Israel – including its Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – has blamed Hamas for the high rate of civilian deaths, insisting Hamas has turned Gazans into “human shields” or suggesting that Palestinians themselves are somehow responsible for not fleeing when the Israeli army has ordered them to. Gaza’s residents have a different explanation for why they have fled – and why they haven’t.
The Gaza Strip is a densely populated enclave – around 1.6 million people in 146 square miles, sealed by both an Egyptian and Israeli blockade. Israel has now ordered some 43% of the territory to be evacuated. The schools that have opened to receive those fleeing are already overcrowded – and many Palestinians in Gaza can recall how in the 2008-09 conflict, even those schools could not guarantee safety."
In the first days of the conflict, the Hamas-run ministry of interior issued a statement urging people near the border – who had been told in Israeli leaflet-drops, text messages and phone calls to evacuate – that they should remain in their homes, dismissing the messages as “psychological warfare”.
In the past week, the Guardian has seen large numbers of people fleeing different neighbourhoods – including Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Shujai’iya, Zeitoun and Maghazy – and no evidence that Hamas had compelled them to stay…
These crowds have joined the ranks of some 102,000 displaced who, according to the UN’s figures, have swollen by some 500% in the last five days.
The decision whether or not to flee is, in reality, a very difficult and complex process of weighing up often competing safety considerations.
“Where you live, you know who your neighbours are and they know you,” said one middle class Gaza resident who recently evacuated and asked not to be named.
“You know if someone is Hamas or Islamic jihad, if your building might be a target or if there is someone you suspect is an Israeli collaborator in the building, which might make it safer during an Israeli attack. I’m staying with relatives. The first thing I asked before I moved my family is who the neighbours are.”
Others explained their reluctance to flee their homes with their conviction that nowhere in Gaza is currently safe."
theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/gaza-displaced-palestinians-not-safe
