‘We will not go to Sinai’: Gazans huddled in tent city of Mawasi face disease and hunger

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Palestinians in Gaza are erecting thousands of tents in Mawasi near the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, opposing plans to move them to the Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and others have been critical of a perceived plan by Israel to force Gazans to resettle in the peninsula.

The displaced Gazans, many of whom have fled homes or temporary shelters more than once since the war began on October 7, say there are no safe places left in the enclave. Israeli forces continue to push them from one place to another by bombing or dropping leaflets telling them to leave.

Mawasi is where many have settled for the time being, living in tents made of scraps of fabric and other materials, with basic amenities like running water and electricity nowhere to be found.

Nidal Al Fayomi, originally from Gaza city, fled with his family to Khan Younis in the south thinking it would be safer there.

“After reaching Khan Younis, we found that it was too dangerous. We moved to Rafah because we couldn’t find anywhere else to go,” he told media from Mawasi.

He said he feels “exhausted”.

“I am not going to leave my land. I will not leave to Sinai,” he said.

Salwa Al Sheikh has suffered a similar ordeal. She left Al Shatee refugee camp in Gaza city after Israeli troops forced her out.

“We have left everything behind. We don’t even have the most essential things. But we moved from Gaza to Khan Younis and to Rafah. We will not go to Sinai.”

Right now, she will settle for the basics.