Front Burner - Israel steps up attacks in Gaza

Episode Date: July 18, 2024

Nine months into the war, Gaza sees one of its deadliest weeks after Israeli air strikes hit several schools and camps throughout the strip and a ground offensive on Gaza City.One of the attacks was an air strike on an IDF-designated humanitarian safe zone in Al-Mawasi, targeting a busy tent camp and market where Israel says two top Hamas commanders were located. Freelance journalist Akram Al-Sattari was there as more than 90 people were killed and 300 were wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry.He takes us through the destruction, the difficult decisions Gazans are making to survive, and how people there are feeling as ceasefire stalks continue to stall.For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, Akram. Hi, good afternoon, Gaza Time. Hi, hi, it's Jamie from the CBC.

Hi, Jamie. Thank you for making the time. How are you doing? I'm still alive and one piece. I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear that. I really want to thank you for coming on to the show today. If you don't mind, Akram, would you mind just counting to 10 for me?

I'm just going to test. We're just going to test your levels here. Okay. Is it going to be a video call or just a sound one? No, just audio. So if you want to turn off your video, you can. Okay. Okay. Don't be scared by the face that you have just seen. It's my face. It's great. You look great. Thank you. Akram Al-Saturi is a freelance journalist based in and it's been a while since we've checked in on him and the situation on the ground in Gaza.

It's been nine months since October 7. The past week has been one of the deadliest since the start of the war with airstrikes hitting schools and tent camps throughout the Strip and a ground offensive in the north. Did you have to make the trip to where you are right now? Are you at home? Yeah, yeah. The daily trip is around seven kilometers between Kanunis and Rafah areas with all the risks that might be entailed in that. And just could you tell me more about that? Like, what's it like for you when you have to try and

get to work every day? In Gaza, this journey is a very dangerous journey for the people. And for you to understand how risky it can be, let me tell you a very short story, sad one, about hundreds of people who were walking down one of the main streets in Al-Mawasi area that was described as a safe area by the Israeli occupation forces. All of a sudden, sometime between 11.35 and 11.36, around 8,000, 2,000 pounds bombs were dropped in the area. Bodies lie scattered across the ground of Al-Mawasi, an area in southwestern Gaza that Israel assured people would be a safe zone.

An area of around 500 meters was affected. 1,200 tents were destroyed to some different degrees. 90 people were killed, including people who were buying and selling, people who were walking down the streets and going to their tents or moving from their tents to the market area. And the destruction was beyond imaginable. Akram, were you able to go and see that area afterwards? Were you able to speak to anybody that went through that?

I was 200 yards away from that incident and I was one of the people affected because one of the shrapnel hit the tent nearby me and also the ones I'm staying with lost three family members in that very specific incident. The devastation was through the number of people killed and the way they were killed and even animals were killed. Donkeys that were pulling some carts were also affected and killed and the ones who were trying to save the ones who ended up also being killed. And the ones who were trying to save the ones who were injured ended up also being killed. And just tell me how, how did the people who were trying to save the ones injured,

how did they get killed? That incident, as the occupation forces used in it around, as I told you, eight bombs, each one weighing 2,000 pounds. That was in the very first strike. And then the unmanned drones were hovering all over the area. And the ones who were rushing to help and save the ones who were injured ended up being targeted and killed. Witnesses say they were targeted by Israeli forces as they tried to help the wounded. Israeli fighter jets and drones armed with missiles and bombs struck rows of tents where thousands of displaced families were sheltering.

The search continues for any sign of life. In one of these recent attacks, Israel has said that they were targeting Mohammed Daif, right? Yes. The chief of Hamas's military wing. And first, you know, can you tell me a little bit about who he is and his role in Hamas's operations? And do we know if he was there and what may or may not have happened to him? Well, he is the top commander of Hamas military wing, one of the founders. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now addressing the media in Tel Aviv following exactly that strike on al-Mawassi in southern Gaza. Let's listen in. We will reach every Hamas commander and leader. Mohammed Addaif is a killer. He's the man number

two in Hamas chain of command. He is the man who planned and led the October 7th massacre as well as other terrorist operations. He has the blood of many Israelis on his hands. He has been fugitive for the last three decades or so. Since 1991, I think, he was targeted eight times. 1991, I think. He was targeted eight times. And the Israeli intelligence believed that he was somehow disabled and he was not fit for the military function or for leading the Hamas military wing. And that's one of the surprises of the war

because they found out that he was still moving and he was still capable of leading the military performance of Hamas military wing, Yazidine al-Qassam. They said that they have targeted him and they said that they have targeted also one of his aides, one of his deputies, who is Rafi Salama. The two guys are top militants in Hamas and they are also top leaders from Khan Yunus area.

And I think that's why they were linking between the two of them. They said they based that targeting on very precise, intelligent information and that there is a very high likelihood that Mohammed Daif and Rafi Salama were killed. Salama were killed. Now, for a man like him, I think that what made Israel believe that it was totally justifiable to destroy the whole area and kill around 100 Palestinians and cause injury for more than 300 others for the sake of killing that guy, because to them, he's a wanted person, and they want to see him dead, no matter what the invoice is. What do people on the ground that you're talking to, what do they say about that? Well, people are just puzzled. People are wondering why would Israel, if they have some very precise intelligence information and they have very high tech solutions, why wouldn't they just target one person and kill that one person?

Why would they cause that chaosiosk in around 500 meters radial while they know the exact location of that person? Why wouldn't they be targeting one tent only? The first missiles were fired like rain towards us. There was a minute between each missile. They fired too many missiles at the people. Why this strike? We were at Al-Mawasi, a safe zone. The way the whole thing was done,

including targeting a community kitchen, and they targeted also water distribution points. And they targeted also the tents that were used by the internally displaced people. Now people who are living in those tents are not aware about who's next to who. And they expect that if they are not engaging in any kind of military combat, that they would be protected as a civilian,

I would say a civilian object, according to the dictates of the international humanitarian law. But it turned out that it was not the case, and they are the ones who are bearing the brunt of that ongoing targeting. Them, their families, their spouses, their children, their fathers, forefathers, and parents, and everything. Akram, you know, I know that some people are choosing to shelter in place despite getting evacuations orders because people feel like there truly is nowhere safe to go. And just, can you tell me a little bit more about how people are grappling with those decisions?

Like, which I can't even imagine being in that position. Yeah, yeah. It's very difficult to imagine. For me, even as a cousin who used to stay in his own home and then was asked to move, you have nowhere to go. And when you finally decided that you needed to move for the safety of your children and your family, and when you moved to areas that were presumably safe, they were targeted. And people who are moving, for instance, from Khan Yunis area to Rafah area ended up being targeted in Rafah area.

People who were moving from the north to the south ended up being targeted. According to the Commissioner General of the UNRWA, no one safe, no place safe. And as we all know, since the beginning of the war, almost every Gazan has been displaced more than once, twice, three times, four times, five times, showing how basically there is absolutely no safe space in the Gaza Strip. So some of the people decided to stay in their homes and they paid the price of that decision. But overall, they were not seeing any area that is practically safe and they didn't have anywhere to go. Now, when you ask a quarter, a million in Khan Yunis a few days ago to leave their homes and move and head to the west of Khan Yunis,

west of Khan Yunis is already extremely overcrowded because of the people who moved from Rafah area. In Rafah area, there used to be around 1.2 to 1.3 million Gazans. Rafah area to Khan Yunis area. And then Khan Yunis area, Al Mawasi area, is underserved area. No sewage networks, no water supply networks. The electricity network is already broken because of the ongoing bombardment that has been taking place in Gaza. So people understand that they are going to the nowhere and that they are also left with nothing that can help them survive those extremely difficult situations. The problem is that most of the Palestinians are now coming to a conclusion or a conviction that they are alive but not living.

Not living in the sense that they cannot access anything decent that has to do with a normal life that other people elsewhere live, even in the neighboring states and countries. So the extreme situation that they were living in also affected their rational thinking and made some of them stay in their homes. thinking and made some of them stay in their homes. We have been having this conversation about aid or a lack of aid getting into Gaza for months, right? A lack of medicine, a lack of food, a lack of other crucial supplies that the U.S. military is now permanently dismantling that pier that they built to try and circumvent the southern border. I wonder if you could tell me more about what's happening right now with aid in the Strip. Is any aid getting to the people that need it the most?

Why is it not? The problem is, Israel has invaded the area of the Rafah Crusade. And they have even destroyed all the premises. They have fully controlled the area of Kerem Shalom. Kerem Shalom is like a lifeline for the Palestinians. Before the war began, around 500 trucks a day would cross into Gaza through Kerem Abu Salem. Almost none are getting through now.

Palestinians are now under extreme condition because of the ongoing war and bombardment. And now Israel is just looking at that lifeline and allowing minimum aid to the people of Gaza. And they are not allowed to access food or water supplies or even non-food items, given the destruction that has been caused to them. So now, when they are not allowed there,

people in Gaza are still struggling till now. They are eating whatever plants that are growing naturally in the open areas. They are not having access to decent water supplies, and that's why they have some problems, digestive problems, the children are suffering. And there were some extremely high levels of malnutrition among the children and adults alike. And that was a statement that was made by the UNICEF,

who were saying that the levels of malnutrition among the Palestinian children is extremely alarming, where four out of five Palestinian children are having some certain degree of malnutrition, and the likelihood of famine happening is extremely high. I'm going to go. Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here. You may have seen my money show on Netflix. I've been talking about money for 20 years. I've talked to millions of people and I have some startling numbers to share with you. Did you know that of the people I speak to, 50% of them do not know their own household income? That's not a typo.

50%. That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. Do you mind if I ask you what it's been like for you and your family in Konyunis to try to access what you need to survive on a daily basis? I have chronic digestive problems, and I understand that is because losing weight because of the situation and because of the poor access to food supplies, having to fulfill the requirements of your job, having to run from one place to another. And at the very same time, you have to move by the minimum food offered and you have to face the challenging situation and to try to survive. This is my personal experience and I can tell you that people have much worse experiences when it comes to access to food and when it comes to their repercussions of not accessing that food in a decent manner. Yeah, yeah. Look Akram, we're talking to you at a time when people around the world might be distracted with other news, to say it bluntly, right? The US election is top of mind for many people in the West. And I just wonder what you as a journalist, as a Gazan, want people to know about what's happening there.

about what's happening there? What I'd like to say to the world is that the fact that humanity at large is facing a challenge. No matter to what extent people are distracted with other international developments and affairs, the suffering of the people of Gaza is unacceptable. The way they are suffering is unimaginable. And the way the international community is dealing with that challenge. And I think after that particular challenge,

all and everything that was written about the humanitarian tools, about how to prevent genocide, about how to prevent inhuman treatment and degrading treatment for the people, about Geneva Convention, everything is being put to the test now. And I think the international community and all the humans all over the world must face that challenge and stand and side with the right of people to live in dignity and peace. And I also wanted to ask you, you know, as a journalist, I know it's now over 100 journalists have been killed in

the war. You're putting yourself at great risk to tell people about what's going on there. Just maybe tell us a little bit about how difficult it has been for you to do your job and properly cover the calamity of

what's been happening there. Well, at the very personal level, the things that are happening, like the unforgettable memories and unrecoverable scars in the heart and the mind of a journalist. Being part of the community, seeing the suffering, seeing the loss, seeing the cry, seeing the tears, being part of the community that has been subjected to this indiscriminatory fire for the last nine months. Some of the times, some of the incidents, one of the incidents took place around a few tens of yards away from me.

And then the bullets were flying over the car that I was riding when we were doing something that has to do with reporting about the situation. And we were very close to death and I could hear the sound, the buzz of the bullets flying around me. And I have an obligation.

I'm saying that we as journalists, we have to do whatever we need to do because after all this is affecting every single life in Gaza if you are not dead then someone you know is dead if you if not someone you know is dead is then some family member is dead if not a family member is dead then some neighbor is dead and you totally understand that there is no safe haven however you understand that there is a duty to communicate the truth about the situation and also to help contribute to solving that issue, even if it

takes you to sacrifice with things that you would never want to, but however you feel you have to. You know, there has been much talk lately about a potential ceasefire. There are talks happening between Israel and Hamas and Doha right now. And the U.S. president is saying both sides have agreed to a framework, do they have hope that a ceasefire is coming? What are they thinking about around a ceasefire? What are they saying? Okay, to start with, people are hopeful. People are resilient. People are understanding when it comes to the way things are being run. And they totally understand that the Israeli government has been procrastinating for the past time, for the past month. They wish they could enjoy a moment of peace. They wish they could see a moment of just

resting and trying to recover whatever normalcy they can to their life. However, with the experiences that they have been living, even in May, when there were some talks that an agreement was reached and they were happy and they're rejoicing and they're celebrating and taking to the streets and hoping that this would be a real thing. I think the main disappointment and the frequent disappointment make them a little bit very discreet about showing their happiness and joy or even expecting

something. Now, when you are in Gaza, as we are talking, some bombardments are taking place, not only in Khan Yunis, but also in Gaza's central area, in Gaza South, in Gaza North, in Gaza City. So the situation is extremely dire and the Palestinians at large will lift with a mind that is focusing now on survival and survival only. They're hopeful, but they understand that there is not much hope when it comes to the way Israeli government is dealing with this whole thing. I take your point that there's a lot of frustration directed at the Israeli government.

I take your point that there's a lot of frustration directed at the Israeli government. I'm just curious, how are people talking about Hamas and Hamas' role in this? Is there still support for Hamas? Is there frustration being directed at Hamas as well? Like people are divided over this thing. Some people say, not in our name. Why would Hamas wage a war against Israel while they are fully aware that Israel is much, much more powerful than Hamas? And they see in that a suicide. Some other people support Hamas. Even when they lose their homes, they still say that we are ready to sacrifice even our blood

and life for the sake of seeing the Palestinian resistance victorious. Some of the people are just arguing that even without Hamas waging this October 7th, people in Gaza were subjected to extreme war. But I think what we can say is that in the meantime, the whole Palestinian community is just waiting to see any change when it comes to the negotiation. Akram, I want to thank you so much. I mean, first of all, for the incredibly dangerous work that you are doing. It's so important.

And also for taking the time to speak with us today. I do hope you take care out there. But before we go, do you want to say anything else that we haven't talked about today? I would like to thank you as well. And I'd like to tell you that the things that are happening, as I told you while I was talking about the situation, are extremely unimaginable. You

wouldn't be able to imagine them as someone who's far away from Gaza. But they are extremely degrading. They are extremely inhumane. And any human being should not be living a life like that. And something should be done to save the name and faith of the humanity before it's too late. Okay. Akram, thank you. You are very welcome. It's a pleasure. All right.

That is all for today. I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you tomorrow. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.