Indian woman who returned from Rafah in Southern Gaza shares her story, thanks PM Modi for peace

NEW DELHI: An Indian woman who returned from Rafah weeks earlier, has recounted her horrific experience and the stress and strain that even international humanitarian workers and medics are forced to face daily with the threat of death looming large as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

32-year-old Reema Angel Sharma was part of an international charity-powered group of volunteers providing medical and humanitarian aid to the people of Rafah – the city presently under seize by the Israeli army. The mission of their group of about 20 to 25 volunteers from different nations, including doctors and para medics, was to provide food and administer medicines to the sick and dying.

Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip and is the capital of the Rafah Governorate of the State of Palestine, located 30 kilometers south-west of Gaza City. Right now it is under attack by Israeli forces with the IDF or Israeli army capturing the vital Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt. Israel had initially planned a full scale invasion or attack on Rafah, but has now scaled it down to what it calls a strategic offensive to root out the Hamas and its fighters.

Reema who has even dabbled in modeling and acting was in Rafah for a few weeks. “I joined the international aid group because I wanted to help people in distress. There was no pay, but we were provided food. We lived in tents or wherever we could find accommodation – in hospitals and closed schools or places of worship. The invasion by Israel caused immense hardship to the poor, elderly and those in need of medical treatment. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who are going without food for days, surviving on a little water and whatever bread or biscuits available. The fear of getting killed with crashing rockets, collapsing structures and exploding bombs is ever present and the horrendous reality that a person who was alive and well just a few minutes earlier, becomes merely a number (among the dead) within hours is something that people have come to accept,” she told this reporter.

Reema who returned back to India before Israeli forces attacked Rafah has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring peace in India. “Those who live in peaceful times (and places) do not know or understand the dangers and throbbing fear of war. Fortunately for me, as India is seen as a more or less neutral party in the conflict, it was not so difficult to move out of the war zone and travel to another country where I could take a flight to Delhi. But for others, it was almost impossible, in spite of being aid workers, to leave the conflict zone. Even aid workers were detained in dingy rooms, subjected to several rounds of questioning by the military, not provided food and basic human needs like toilet facilities or medicines. As an Indian, I am proud of my PM who has ensured us safety even on foreign soil,” Reema said, adding that she fears greatly for the safety of her co-workers, some of them who have not been able to move out of the Rafah area.

Back in India, she is gearing up for a pageant through which she wants to spread the message of peace. “Nobody wins in a war. There is damage on both sides. Fighting must stop. Peace must prevail,” is Reema’s message for the world.