Gaza family tell of desperate journeys to border in search of safety

Emad Abuaassi and his family fled their home in northern Gaza

A father-of-four in Gaza has told of his family's repeated desperate attempts to reach the border with Egypt in the hope of escaping to safety.

Emad Abuaassi fled from the north with his wife and children as the Israel airstrikes began.

In voice notes sent to the BBC, Mr Abuaassi said they had tried in vain to cross the closed Rafah crossing, driving with rockets flying overhead.

"Every time we go there, we just suffer," he said.

"I can't explain anymore how it is. Absolute disaster. I have never seen or experienced anything like this in all our lives."

The family moved from Blackpool in Lancashire to the Gaza Strip, where members of Mr Abuaassi's family still live, just under a year ago. His wife and children have British passports.

Since fleeing the north, they have been staying in Mr Abuassi's brother's flat in the city of Khan Younis.

Still more than eight miles from the Rafah crossing, he told how the family had made "four or five" perilous drives to get there in the hope of being allowed to cross.

"The dangerous bit is to reach the border. And the dangerous bit again is to get back home from the border," he said.

"Every time we go there, we just suffer. All day in the sun and rockets fly over our heads.

"I don't want to go unless we know for definite the border is open."

Speaking on Monday, Mr Abuaassi's wife Stephanie told how "nowhere is safe".

It has now been almost three weeks since Hamas launched its unprecedented attacks on Israel, killing 1,400 people.

Israel has retaliated with intense bombing which the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed more than 5,800 people.

"We can't get out. We're living here in a two-bedroom flat [with] about 50 people," Mr Abuaassi said.

"The situation is absolutely bad. We're struggling for food, we're struggling for water, we're struggling for everything.

"We've just managed to have half a sandwich - me and my kids this morning.

"All our flat was destroyed, everything destroyed," he said.

"We managed to get out with just a tiny bit of money and just quickly ran to the hospital.

"We slept in the hospital the whole night.

"The next morning my brother came and he took us to his flat in Khan Younis and now we remain here but the situation is difficult and I hope something happens soon."

The Gaza Strip only has two other border crossings, both with Israel - Erez, a crossing for people in northern Gaza and Kerem Shalom, a solely commercial goods junction in southern Gaza. Both remain shut.

Mr Abuaassi said every day was getting "more difficult" as food supplies dwindled.

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"Everyone is starving here, day by day, life is getting difficult and difficult," he continued.

"I don't know what's going to happen over the next two, three days.

"[But] we are better than other people. Some people can't even have somewhere to sleep, or some food or water.

"At least we are kind of safe. We're lucky we got a bit of food and water and somewhere to stay. It's a really difficult situation here."

He urged the British Embassy to help, adding: "I hope the British Embassy can do something for us to get out of Gaza as soon as possible."

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