Thousands more Palestinians in Gaza Strip flee to the south of the enclave to avoid the fighting

(8 Jan 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Rafah, Gaza Strip - 8 January 2024 1. Various of vehicles carrying people fleeing central Gaza Strip for the Muwasi area in Rafah, southern Gaza strip 2. Various of Ayyash family unloading their belongings from van, taking them to tents 3. Khawla Ayyash who is displaced from Nusairat standing with some family members in front of their tent 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Khawla Ayyash, displaced from Nusairat: “I saw the situation here, it is not normal, I was shocked from what I saw, this is not normal. This is madness, everyone is fleeing. And the banging, even on our way (here to Rafah), there was banging, rockets, strikes, planes. I swear to God, while we were on the road, we said the ’shahada’ (the Muslim testimony to faith that people try to say as their last words). Thank God for everything, but this situation... I don’t know where to stay, I swear I came here and I don’t know where my children will sleep. Will they sleep on the sand? Will they sleep outside (the tent)? You can see the garbage here next to us. I don’t know, there is no safe place, there is no hygiene, there is no life.“ 5. Various of the family unloading their belongings, bringing them to the tent 6. Various of displaced man Yasser Asaad along his wife and child starting to build their tent 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yasser Asaad, displaced man from Nusairat: “They (the Israeli army) threw leaflets on us, and we fled to Rafah, looking for a safe place. We are a family of 30 to 40 people, we are looking for safety. I brought my family here to shelter them and so that we stay here. God willing, there will be safety here.“ 8. Various of Ayyash family building their tents 9. Various of displaced man Eyad al-Mobayed covering his tent with nylon 10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Eyad al-Mobayed, displaced man: “We came here to Rafah, we were looking for a place to stay but there isn’t. As you can see, it is only sand here. There is so much suffering, it was very difficult for us until we managed to get this place. There is no wood and everything is expensive, exorbitant prices. Everything is a struggle, there is no water. If you want to fill up some water, then you have to go for a long distance.“ 11. Wide of tents 12. Various of people unloading their mattresses, arriving to Muwasi area 13. Various of vehicles and cars carrying people fleeing central Gaza Strip for the Muwasi area STORYLINE: Thousands more Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fled on Monday to the south as the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants encroached on the central belt of the enclave. Most people escaping the city of Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp - two of central Gaza’s most densely populated areas - first head west to the coast before turning south to reach an area known as Muwasi, near the city of Rafah, according to displaced families and Associated Press journalists in Gaza. “I was shocked from what I saw, this is not normal. This is madness, everyone is fleeing,“ said Khawla Ayyash, who is displaced from Nusairat. “Even on our way (here to Rafah), there was banging, rockets, strikes, planes,“ she added. The Ayash family managed to rent a car to transport the family of around 15 and their belongings along the 11 mile route from Nuseirat to Muwasi. After offloading bags, blankets and thin mattresses from the roof of the van, Khawla reunited with other members of her extended family of around 30 and began building the foundations of a tent with wooden planks and nylon. AP video by Mohammad Jahjouh Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: