'There is no safe place in Gaza, the situation is bad'

MARANG - A Palestinian said that his family members in Gaza had to leave their homes, seeking refuge elsewhere, as a result of the Israeli government's actions in destroying homes.

In addition to being shut off from all medical assistance and necessities like food, Bilal Ahmad, 30, who has been residing in Malaysia for the past three years, claimed that Gaza was transformed into the largest "prison" in the world under siege by Israel.

Bilal said his relatives in Gaza told him that Israel's cruel act was heightened when it turned off the water and electricity supplies, which impacted the local populace, particularly the ill, the elderly, children, and women.

"The last time I spoke to my brothers and sisters who were in Gaza was two days ago through a phone call. They told me that our family's house was destroyed due to the bombings and that they had to move to another, safer place.

"The situation in Gaza is now very bad. There is no safe place in Gaza, as Israel aims to destroy the residents' homes.

"If possible, they want to 'annihilate' Palestinians from the face of earth," he said when met by reporters after the launch of the #Aid4Palestine 2.0 fundraiser at the Rusila Mosque here on Friday.

Commenting further, Bilal said that he did not know whether his family members were still alive or were killed in the war.

"I still have my mother, sisters, nieces, and relatives in Gaza and cannot contact them through phone calls or internet connections at the moment.

"I don't know how they are or where they are now.I can only ask Allah to keep my family safe," he pleaded with tears in his eyes.

As a result of the Israeli Zionist regime's continued oppression of Palestinians and destruction of their homes, Bilal urged all Muslims as well as the international community to speak out against its acts.

He asked all parties to step up their support for Palestine and aid the people in securing their rights after more than 75 years of oppression at the hands of the Zionist authority.

"All we are doing is standing up for and fighting for rights that have been suppressed for so long.

Israel has no right to demolish our homes in the country where we were born since it is our territory, he added.