Marching from North to South of the Gaza Strip, at night, with the fear of bombs and the unknown of the destination, of the future. A silent convoy of three hundred cars with thousands of people, lives suspended and afraid. A few things in the suitcase, some clothes, some food. I land in a school, trying to escape from the bombs and figure out what will become of them. Sleeping on stairs, in corridors, classrooms, cafeterias, on the floor. There are people everywhere who put a mattress or just a blanket on the floor. Following the exodus of this convoy was a Médecins Sans Frontières worker, Louis Baudoin.
"They ask us for information but we don't have any. And they repeat: what will become of us?" On Friday night, following the Israeli army's order to evacuate the north, some of us from the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff moved from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip along with several thousand other Palestinians. In the middle of the night, we prepared an emergency evacuation plan and set off with a convoy of 300 cars, at 8:00 a.m.," explains Baudoin.
"At the beginning it was as if people didn't believe the evacuation notice and not many people left, but during the day the cars started to move - he says - Then those on foot arrived. A multitude that camped with mattresses, some food, some clothes, but not much luggage because everyone left in a real emergency. We took refuge in a large complex of buildings, which among other things is also used as a school. This is where people seek refuge. They sleep on the stairs, in the corridors, in the classrooms, in the cafeterias. There are people everywhere who put a mattress or just a blanket on the floor."
"The people who are here have come from all over the Strip in search of safety. Especially from the north, but mostly from the areas that have been evacuated, so from Gaza City, Beit Hanoun, but also Khan Yunis. They have come here to seek refuge but they are afraid and wonder what will become of them. People often come to us at Médecins Sans Frontières to ask for information, but we don't have any information either. We don't know if the bombing will continue near or far from here. Yesterday we heard some bombs falling, but certainly less than in Gaza City." "Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls for an immediate halt to the indiscriminate bloodshed by both sides of the conflict, to ensure safe spaces and passages for the population, and to respect medical and civilian infrastructure."
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