Tears, relief as SA evacuees arrive home from Gaza

It’s been nearly two months of heavy bombing and airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military on the enclave in retaliation to the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas.

While there’s been some humanitarian relief, the release of prisoners, and a short-lived truce, those living in Gaza say the situation remains dire.

Dr Zaaakirah Chothia was among 19 South Africans who were reunited with their relatives in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

She had travelled to Gaza to prepare for her son’s wedding.

Chothia described how she watched buildings collapse around her: “We saw three buildings collapse at the back, on the side and exactly onto the side, and when it comes down you feel the earth shake. It was like an earthquake.”

Chothia, who first arrived in Palestine in 1997, said took shelter with her children at a nearby United Nations school.

She said they still didn’t feel safe as hospitals and UN facilities had not been spared the wrath of the Israeli army.

Chorhia said she, and her four children, began making the trek to the Rafah border with Egypt.

“We stayed for a week in the hospital area of the school, we slept on the floor. Thereafter we saw 13 tankers entering, and seven helicopters were over our heads, and they said, ‘Get to the South’.”

At the same time, Heirda Eid has called on the international community to act against the violation of human rights as the war in Gaza rages on.

“I am coming with a message from Palestinian civil society, we want the international community to impose sanctions against apartheid Israel – to treat Israel the same way it treated apartheid South Affrica.

“We need a military embargo right now, in order to put an end to the ongoing genocide.”

More than 15,000 Palestinians and over a thousand Israelis have lost their lives since the Israeli-Hamas conflict escalated in October.

Hundreds of thousands more Gazans have been displaced - with many homes flattened. Israel has been accused of wanting to force Palestinians out of Gaza following decades of territorial occupation.

“I’ve lost my house. I’ve been displaced with my family three times, this is the fourth time. South Africa is my second homeland. We come to South Africa with heavy hearts  because we are leaving 2.3 million people exposed to the wrath and anger of apartheid Israel," said Eid.

Meanwhile, director-general Zane Dangor says efforts to evacuate more South Africans from Gaza are ongoing.

“I know that one or two of you have loved ones that couldn’t come through, our team will continue to work to ensure that they do come through. We do have their names and we will do follow-ups [to do what we can] within our abilities to ensure that they come through safe as well,” he said in his address to the evacuees.

The missions in Egypt and Gaza, led by Ambassadors Shaun Byneveldt and Ntsiki Mashimbye worked with authorities for the group’s safe exit.

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