Gaza: British-Palestinian terrified for family in Middle East

Mohammed Awad said he was "terrified" for his parents and relatives in Gaza amid the conflict

Two British-Palestinian men have described their fears for their families in Gaza amid Israel's siege on the territory.

Mohammed Awad, from Cambridge, told the PA news agency his "entire family" lived in Jabalya in northern Gaza.

Fady Abusidu, meanwhile, a business development consultant in Warwick, said his family were "extremely scared".

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" after the attack by Hamas militants on Saturday.

About 1.1 million people living in northern areas have been told to leave and more than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes.

Last week, hundreds of Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking dozens of hostages.

Many buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since tensions escalated this week

Mr Awad, an English teacher, said his family only has one hour of electricity per day, were fasting due to difficulties accessing food and were using candles at night due to blackouts.

He said: "Kids are crying. No one can sleep. There is a lack of food, a lack of fuel.

"I don't eat or sleep for days now. I cannot control my emotions."

Israel is enforcing a total blockade in Gaza with fuel, food and water running out.

IT consultant Mr Ahmed did not wish to share his age or full name. His family lives in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

He said he was "extremely worried" about his father, mother, and four siblings.

"[I have been] looking on my Facebook making sure that I don't have any posts from my friends saying that one of my family members has been lost," he said.

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He tried to distance the Palestinian people from the actions of Hamas.

"There are lots of civilians who have nothing to do with what's going on and simply want to live," he said.

"It's like taking one single brush and colouring two million people with one single colour because of the actions done by a few people.

"We are all human beings and we all have the same rights."

Mr Abusidu, 47, said some of his cousins had died in the last few days and said he was "sad and quite concerned" for their safety, knowing they were "all in danger".

"My cousin's home was damaged again. Every time we repair it and rebuild it and so on and it gets targeted again or hit again, so it's quite concerning and quite depressing," said Mr Abusidu.