South Africans who have been evacuated from the war-torn city of Gaza have spoken of their difficult fight to keep themselves and their families alive during the war.
The Middle Eastern city has been the epicentre of a deadly conflict between Israel and Palestine that re-escalated on the seventh of October.
A total of 19 South Africans – comprising children, teenagers, and adults – arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday afternoon from Egypt.
They managed to flee Gaza on foot and reach Egypt where the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) could fly them back home.
There were tears, hugs, and sighs of relief as the nineteen South Africans from Gaza met their loved ones at the OR Tambo International Airport.
Heider Eid has been a teacher in Palestine for over two decades but had to leave his home and students due to the conflict.
“I left my family back [in Gaza]. We come to South Africa with heavy hearts because we are leaving behind 2.3 million people exposed to the wrath and anger of apartheid Israel.”
Another survivor Dr Zaakirah Chootia said at one point she and her four children had to walk 11km on foot where they came across countless dead bodies in the street.
“But as I passed, I saw how they shot a woman in front of me. Three bullets and she fell. I didn’t want to go and assist because I knew I had children.”
DIRCO said it will have a debrief with the evacuees once they have recovered.
-EWN
In other news – Ex-Generations actress Sonia Mbele exposes her deadbeat baby-daddy
Well-known Mzansi actress Sonia Mbele has recently opened up about parenting as seen in an X (formally known as Twitter) video shared on 30 November. In the clip, she shared a story of a time she bumped into her deadbeat son’s father at a supermarket in Joburg.
The former Generations star got into detail as she shared a real story of the time she ran into her deadbeat baby daddy whom she had been with for almost a decade before their split. Read More