17 October 2023 , 16:11
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This is the heartbreaking message to the world from a 13-year-old girl trapped in Gaza, who has been forced to flee from Israeli air strikes with her family.
Zaina lived in Gaza City with her family. But instead of doing the things girls her age normally do - hanging out with friends, going to school, and enjoying her life - she has been forced to run for her life. Instead of looking forward to the weekend, or complaining about school, Zaina has been left terrified she may lose loved ones.
After Hamas' attack last Saturday, on October 7, Israel commenced a campaign of air attacks across Gaza in revenge. Since then, countless innocents have been killed, caught in the middle of the vicious conflict between Israel and Hamas. Recent days have seen a number of powerful political figures and charities, including US President Joe Biden, call on Israel to ensure that innocent Palestinians are not continually killed by Israel's air attacks as it pursues the militant group.
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Zaina, 13, fled from Gaza City to Rafah (Supplied)
A general map of the Israel-Hamas war (Press Association Images)Zaina's story is evidence of the horrific impacts of the country's strikes on Gaza, as well as its siege, and the demands for half of the population of one of the world's most densely populated regions to abandon their homes and move. She and her family were forced to flee Gaza City and head southwards, to where Israel assured them would be safe.
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But in a heartbreaking message shared with The Mirror, she said: "But no it’s not [safe in the south]. They are bombing here". She described how they suddenly had to flee Gaza on the first day of Israel's attacks, not having a clue about where they were going or if they'd be safe. She also shared a wrenching plea to the outside world to not forget about the Palestinians in Gaza, and her hope that "one day the world realises what we're going through". The Mirror has shared her heartbreaking message in full, so others can hear the words of the young teen caught in something worse than a warzone.
Zaina's message
An injured Palestinian child is taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital as Israeli airstrikes continue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza earlier today (Anadolu via Getty Images)"Today, Israeli warplanes have struck near the Gaza border crossing of Rafah, not far from where Zaina and her family fled to. This comes as Israel continues to ready for its ground invasion of Gaza which could see conflict intensify and even more people die. The World Health Organisation also warned that Gaza is down to its last 24 hours of fuel, electricity, and water.
'You start thinking about them, your neighbours, your family, what if you lose them?'
"Since the first day of the attack on Gaza, I have not contacted my [extended] family. Neither have my neighbours because we had to evacuate from the first day and everybody moved to another place and we barely knew anything about each other.
"When we got the chance to talk and call each other, it was jus minutes, it was real quick and we barely knew anything about each so it was really tough and hard and being worried about your family, neighbours, you know nothing about them, you can’t call them, you can’t be in contact with them.
Palestinians look for their belongings among the rubble of their destroyed houses as Israeli attacks continue on the 10th day in Gaza City today (Anadolu via Getty Images)"You start thinking about them, your neighbours, your family, what if you lose them. Your friends, you just can’t call them, sometimes then when you do call them they won’t respond and that is really hard and you start thinking about the things, what if something happened to them, what would you do? And everything is just going on in your head which is really really hard.
Fleeing the bombs
"We had to evacuate from the first day of the attack on Gaza, most of the families here … when the bombing started we just got our emergency bag, we started to call people and in a rush trying to find safer places, it was horrifying and terrible such an experience under the stress of being bombed at any second is just really really horrifying.
'I hope one day the world realises what we're going through'
"Anything, people out there, presidents, governments people, anyone, here in Gaza innocent people are being killed, women, children, families. Houses are being bombed, even hospitals and schools! People are trying to find somewhere to go, somewhere safer, but they can’t because there is no safe place here in Gaza. Everywhere is being bombed and everybody is being killed, innocent people! I hope one day the world realises what we’re going through.
Civil defence teams and residents launch a search and rescue operation around the rubbles of destroyed buildings as Israeli attacks continue on the 10th day in Rafah, Gaza (Anadolu via Getty Images)'Nowhere is safe here in Gaza'
"They may have told people to go to the south, as it’s safer, but no it’s not. They are bombing here. Houses are being bombed, hospitals are being bombed, everywhere. Innocent people are being killed, houses are being bombed without any alarm before bombing, hundreds of people are dying and there’s no safe place, they tell us south is safe, but no south is not safe, nowhere is safe here in Gaza, everywhere is being bombed and thousands of innocent people are being killed under that."