June 30, 2025 • 18 mins
Last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published testimony from Israeli soldiers who admitted to deliberately shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians while they waited for humanitarian aid – claims the Israeli government denies.
According to authorities in Gaza, at least 583 people have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centres in Gaza, and many more people have been injured.
The United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres has called the Israeli and US-backed aid centers “inherently unsafe” – saying “the search for food must never be a death sentence”.
On today’s episode, we speak with doctors working at the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, about the reality of treating people who have been attacked while trying to get food.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
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Guests: Intensive care specialist, Dr. Aziz Rahman and spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Olga Cherevko.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two days when it's day drawn twenty fifth, twenty five
and it's still am.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is an emergency doctor living and working in central Gaza.
We can't tell you his name or where he works
because he's worried for his safety. But since last week
we've been gathering voice notes from people working in hospitals there.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Now approaching its second year, this war has drained us physically,
emotionally and systemically.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Last week, he was on night shift at the hospital
when he heard screams.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It was just past midnight when the screens began and
dozens of wounded flooded buddies everywhere, cries blood on the floor.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He rushed the emergency room, where he saw ten patients
in a critical condition. There were four beds. The rest
of the people were lying bleeding on the floor. Amid
the chaos, someone shouted that one of the men on
the floor had a head injury. When the doctor came closer,
he recognized as the man in front of him. It
was a fellow doctor who he'd worked alongside.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I tricked his pulse.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
He was gone.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
A tank fired a pullet and shattered his skull. He
died immediately.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
When he died, this doctor had been trying to get
food for his family at an AID point.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Even doctors here are starving. Most of us haven't been
paid in months. We work twenty for our shifts with
a single mir Doctor Rames died seeking food for himself
for his children. May Allah rist his sole and bees.
(01:40):
He honored his duty and died with dignity.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
The doctor who sent this note described a horrifying new
pattern of casualties in Gaza's hospitals. Civilians seeking food for
their families are being targeted by Israeli forces. According to
authorities in Gaza, at least five hundred eighty three people
have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centers.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
The situation here is catastrophic. Our hospitals are collapsing, our
lives are shattered, and the world must look away.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am today, the risk
of seeking aid in Gaza and the reality of providing
medical care as the bombardment continues. It's Tuesday, July one.
Doctor Ezizrahaman is an American doctor who's just completed a
(02:38):
two week rotation in Gaza. Like the doctor you've just
heard from, he spent the last few weeks treating patients
whose families say they were shot out while waiting.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
For eight we were stationed at Naser Hospital, so we
stayed at the hospital for the full two weeks. You know,
the hospital itself is a green zone, but immediately around
it is a red zone. So red zone basically means
it's fair game for Israel to drop a bomb. So
we were told to stay at the hospital at all times,
not even going outside into the safe grounds, just because
(03:10):
shrapnel can be at risk at any point. Because there's
bombing happening two hundred meters away. Pretty much every thirty minutes,
we're hearing some sort of a bomb and machine gun
fire in the background.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And you're working in a trauma base, so working with
the people who are directly impacted by those blasts that
you're hearing. So how many people are you seeing come
through at any given time.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I think one of the days was sixty dead and
three hundred injured. We're talking about thirty are pretty much
dead on arrival, thirty are pretty much headshots, so very
poor prognoses, you know that. Thirty or pretty much neck
or spine shots where they're going to be paralyzed neck down.
(03:55):
Sometimes just the legs, but and then everything in between,
whether it be the shots and the lungs, the heart
requiring chest tubes, pericardial drains. And when you ask these patients'
families like where were these patients coming from, you almost
always hear the same story that they were trying to
get food for the family at these Gods of Humanitarian
(04:17):
fun ghf AID sites. And when we're extracting the bullets
from these patients, we're seeing you know, rifle caliber rounds, right.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So we're talking about people being shot in the head
or the neck. So that's a very targeted shooting, right.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Right exactly, It's a very accurate shot. And the thing
is we're not just seeing it in men. We're seeing
it in children. We're seeing it in women. And then
you'll have you know, shrapnel injuries coming from different bombing sites.
We actually saw a pregnant woman with a fetus that
we had to abort and the bullet went right through
the fetus intrauterine. And she's thirty years old and we
(04:57):
had to do a hysterectomy, so she's never gonna have
a a child ever again. So you know, you hear
it on the news but seeing with your own eyes,
it doesn't make much rational sense, it doesn't make any
moral sense, and you see the pain that it caused
to the family.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And as a doctor in this hospital, tell me more
about the challenges in terms of having to make decisions
about how you treat people, how serious someone's injuries might be,
and who gets trianged first.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Yeah, that's a great question. So it was very disheartening
to see how they have to do it. But if
a patient has a bulletshot to the head, even if
it's potentially survivable, they may forego that patient for someone
who has less injury, and they basically just put that
patient from what they call the red zone in the
trauma bay to the black zone in the trauma bay
(05:49):
where that patient kind of just dies off and there's
just no time or resources to let the physicians and
nurses and texts take care of that patient. The National
House for those twelve ICU beds, at one point there
had eighty ICU patients eight and zero to the point
that we're putting ICO patients on wards. And the words
(06:09):
obviously just don't have the supplies and the specialized nurses
and specialized care that it takes for an ICU, so
you can imagine not enough ventilators, is not enough oxygen tanks,
and every single medical supply in between was a problem.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
And so what is it like for you treating these injuries?
Speaker 5 (06:30):
You know, as physicians, we like to compartmentalize our emotions.
You know, the first time we saw it, it was
quite overwhelming to see brain matter on the floor literally,
you know, intestines what we call extravagating outside of the
abdomen and just trying to tape it back in, and
(06:51):
the extent of human beings injured into a small trauma bay.
Noster Hospital was not made for this, so this trauma
bay is not massive by any means. And to the point,
there's not enough beds, so families are just putting the
patient on the floor, which is extremely dirty. It's blood everywhere.
You're trying to step between patients and you know, the
(07:13):
bottom of your shoe has blood all over it. We
actually had to move a patient and you know that
we didn't evaluate the back of the head yet and
there was brain just being you know, slid all over
the ground. So, I mean it was terrible, but we
didn't have time to process it. I found myself not
crying in Gaza. But when I got back to the States,
(07:34):
I found myself, you know, randomly just crying and randomly
staring into space. Just I think this is how I'm
processing it. But when I was there, there was just
no time to process it. It was just constant every day.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, doctor Brahman, thank you so much for your time.
I really appreciate you talking with me today.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Ruby off to the brain A deadly game of red
light green light for Gazans seeking food. Earlier this year,
on March TI, the Israeli government imposed a total blockade
on aid like food and medicine entering Gaza. When the
(08:18):
blockade was finally lifted, Israel didn't let the UN and
regular aid agencies go back to work. Instead, Israel took control,
creating aid distribution sites run by a private American company.
Now Gazans must go to highly militarized zones to collect food.
In reporting this story, our team reached out to around
a dozen people living in Gaza. Many of them are
(08:40):
too physically and emotionally exhausted to speak publicly about their experiences,
but they told us some version of the same thing.
The aid system in Gaza is deliberately broken. Another doctor
who sent us voice notes described his relative good fortune.
His stockpiled enough food to avoid the aid points where
billions are being attacked, and he won't let any of
(09:02):
his family go near them either.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
We have this concert here in Guz that if you
have enough money, you can buy your safety by not
going there to the getge of center and instend spend
your money on those overly briced goods.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
As he tells us about the inflated prices of basic goods,
you can hear explosions in the background.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
A kilogram of sugar used to cost one dollar before
the war and even during the seas fire, but it's
now almost one hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
He says. For those who can't pay and have no
choice but to go to these aid points, it's chaotic.
Drones fill the air and soldiers surround the eight points.
People are only allowed to go there when the IDF
says so, but there is no set schedule and little
warning about when they'll get the green light.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
There is a few drones that when the center or
door it turns on a green light indicating that it's
urban and start broadcasting. A voice by Eida christa rooms,
telling them that it is urban and you can claim
(10:16):
your head within, for example, twenty minutes and leave as
soon as boshof.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
In the Israeli newspaper Herets late last week, Israeli soldiers
admitted to deliberately firing at unarmed people waiting for aid
as a form of crowd control. The soldier told haretes
that once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they
know they can approach. Our only form of communication is gunfire,
the soldier said. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Etnahu and
(10:42):
Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the testimony as malicious falsehoods.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
One of our neighbors who was killed there was shot
in his abdomen. He's a guy in his thirties. He's
a father for three kids. Last rewards that those who
brought him to the hospital have mentioned, and I quote
here a man at susa Ula the car home sectem
(11:11):
Johnny in which translated for I beg you must to
let go of my kids, Please careful them. I left
them Hungary.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
On Friday, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterrez called
these aid centers inherently unsafe, saying the search for food
must never be a death sentence. Olga trev Co works
for the UN in humanitarian affairs. She's currently in Gaza City.
So Olga, welcome to seven AM. Thank you for coming
on the show. Thanks for having me, Olga. The Haretz
(11:44):
report quoted an Israeli soldier describing what is happening at
eight Points as a version of the children's game red
Light Green Light. When you read that report, what did
you think.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Well, we're clearly seeing that they are extremely dangerous. These
I wouldn't call them aid sites. I would say these
are militarized areas that put people at risk and force
people to choose between an impossible choice.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
And it's being distributed by a new organization, a group
back by the US and Israeli governments. What do you
know about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
So we're not part of this scheme in any way,
and we've made our position quite clear that we cannot
participate in a scheme that is not in line with
humanitarian principles that have been globally established. And we have
also repeatedly emphasized that we had a system in place
and we continue to have a system in place that
(12:46):
has been tested over many years, and we have decades
of experience in delivering aid and making sure that it
actually reaches the people in need and does not force
them to walk long distances or in anyway puts them
that additional risk that they may face at these locations,
and our position hasn't changed on that.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
And so you mentioned this a little bit. Tell me
more about what impact all of this is having on
the people who do still need aid in Gaza. Now,
how are they now approaching this?
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I mean, you know, it's really difficult to go out
anywhere in Gaza and see the faces of the people
and the kind of the carrying the weight of the
world's in difference on their shoulders. Some of them, I feel,
are really losing hope at this stage. Others are just
basically living from hour to hour, from day to day,
(13:46):
and they really don't know where their next meal is
going to come from. Of course, they cut corners everywhere,
and they prioritize their children over themselves. I mean, I
don't recognize some of my friends when I don't see
them for a few days, and then they come and
see me and they will have gotten so much dinner
and really unrecognizable at this point, So I think the
(14:10):
situation that we have now is the worst that we've
ever seen. I mean, all indicators are pointing to the
negative direction, including malnutrition of course continues to increase, and
the types of aight they're allowed to enter are not
everything that is needed. So shelter, for example, hasn't entered
(14:31):
for over four months. Same with fuel. It's been about
four months since any fuel has entered Gaza at all,
and the severity of it now really cannot be overstated.
I mean, if no fuel enters within immediate really within
the immediate term, we will face immediate loss of life
because more vital life saving equipment will have to shut down.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
And so, what in your view needs to happen to
ensure the safe district aid now in Gaza, Well, it's
very simple.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
What needs to happen is a consistent and unrestricted flow
of aid into Gaza through the various corridors that we have,
through the multiple crossings that are available. So they need
to open more crossings. They need to allow us to
bring aid and supplies into Gaza through these multiple corridors,
(15:29):
and our work needs to be enabled. I mean some
of our missions take days to complete and even then,
some of them, you know, may have waited for forty
plus hours and didn't actually come out with anything because
it was too dangerous, or you know, there was fighting
taking place and we have to maneuver our movements in
between the offensive that is ongoing. But beyond that, I
(15:53):
want to note that it's not just about aid. You know,
you can't put a number on the dignity. They need
much more than food, and they need much more than
just humanitarian assistance. They need life to have some sort
of semblance here, because I don't think that people have
(16:15):
felt like they've had any sort of life. And you know,
these conditions that were called living, they're not living conditions
in any way.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
And why do you think it is that Israel is
not allowing that unrestricted aid?
Speaker 4 (16:29):
Well, I think that would be a question for them.
I don't have an answer for that. We obviously have
done everything that we possibly could, and we continue to
do everything in our power to appeal to anyone who
is listening to highlight the extent of the needs and
that the only way to address them is by allowing
(16:51):
everything that is needed here to enter.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Olga, thank you so much for your time today. I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
That's Mac Sacsua.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
This episode of seven Am was produced by Haidi pet
and the seven Am team. It's our first episode under
new ownership. Our show was recently bought by an independent
media company called Solstice Media. Also in the news today,
(17:27):
after a nine week trial, the jury in the triple
murder trial of Mushroom cook Erin Patterson are finally deliberating
their verdict. Patterson has fleeted not guilty to all charges
and even took the stand to argue the deaths were
a tragic accident. Meanwhile, the prosecution called more than fifty
witnesses to give evidence over the course of the trial.
The verdict will be delivered once the twelve members of
(17:47):
the jury unanimously agree and from today. Minimum wages across
the country are increasing three point five percent. It's expected
that two point six million Australians will get a pay rise,
bringing the minimum wage to twenty four four dollars and
ninety five cents an hour, or nine hundred and forty
eight dollars per week. The new financial year also brings
an increase in employer contributions to superannuation, up from eleven
(18:09):
point five percent to twelve percent. I'm Ruby Jones. Thanks
for listening.
Two days when it's day drawn twenty fifth, twenty five
and it's still am.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is an emergency doctor living and working in central Gaza.
We can't tell you his name or where he works
because he's worried for his safety. But since last week
we've been gathering voice notes from people working in hospitals there.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Now approaching its second year, this war has drained us physically,
emotionally and systemically.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Last week, he was on night shift at the hospital
when he heard screams.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
It was just past midnight when the screens began and
dozens of wounded flooded buddies everywhere, cries blood on the floor.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He rushed the emergency room, where he saw ten patients
in a critical condition. There were four beds. The rest
of the people were lying bleeding on the floor. Amid
the chaos, someone shouted that one of the men on
the floor had a head injury. When the doctor came closer,
he recognized as the man in front of him. It
was a fellow doctor who he'd worked alongside.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I tricked his pulse.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
He was gone.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
A tank fired a pullet and shattered his skull. He
died immediately.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
When he died, this doctor had been trying to get
food for his family at an AID point.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Even doctors here are starving. Most of us haven't been
paid in months. We work twenty for our shifts with
a single mir Doctor Rames died seeking food for himself
for his children. May Allah rist his sole and bees.
(01:40):
He honored his duty and died with dignity.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
The doctor who sent this note described a horrifying new
pattern of casualties in Gaza's hospitals. Civilians seeking food for
their families are being targeted by Israeli forces. According to
authorities in Gaza, at least five hundred eighty three people
have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centers.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
The situation here is catastrophic. Our hospitals are collapsing, our
lives are shattered, and the world must look away.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am today, the risk
of seeking aid in Gaza and the reality of providing
medical care as the bombardment continues. It's Tuesday, July one.
Doctor Ezizrahaman is an American doctor who's just completed a
(02:38):
two week rotation in Gaza. Like the doctor you've just
heard from, he spent the last few weeks treating patients
whose families say they were shot out while waiting.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
For eight we were stationed at Naser Hospital, so we
stayed at the hospital for the full two weeks. You know,
the hospital itself is a green zone, but immediately around
it is a red zone. So red zone basically means
it's fair game for Israel to drop a bomb. So
we were told to stay at the hospital at all times,
not even going outside into the safe grounds, just because
(03:10):
shrapnel can be at risk at any point. Because there's
bombing happening two hundred meters away. Pretty much every thirty minutes,
we're hearing some sort of a bomb and machine gun
fire in the background.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And you're working in a trauma base, so working with
the people who are directly impacted by those blasts that
you're hearing. So how many people are you seeing come
through at any given time.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I think one of the days was sixty dead and
three hundred injured. We're talking about thirty are pretty much
dead on arrival, thirty are pretty much headshots, so very
poor prognoses, you know that. Thirty or pretty much neck
or spine shots where they're going to be paralyzed neck down.
(03:55):
Sometimes just the legs, but and then everything in between,
whether it be the shots and the lungs, the heart
requiring chest tubes, pericardial drains. And when you ask these patients'
families like where were these patients coming from, you almost
always hear the same story that they were trying to
get food for the family at these Gods of Humanitarian
(04:17):
fun ghf AID sites. And when we're extracting the bullets
from these patients, we're seeing you know, rifle caliber rounds, right.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So we're talking about people being shot in the head
or the neck. So that's a very targeted shooting, right.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Right exactly, It's a very accurate shot. And the thing
is we're not just seeing it in men. We're seeing
it in children. We're seeing it in women. And then
you'll have you know, shrapnel injuries coming from different bombing sites.
We actually saw a pregnant woman with a fetus that
we had to abort and the bullet went right through
the fetus intrauterine. And she's thirty years old and we
(04:57):
had to do a hysterectomy, so she's never gonna have
a a child ever again. So you know, you hear
it on the news but seeing with your own eyes,
it doesn't make much rational sense, it doesn't make any
moral sense, and you see the pain that it caused
to the family.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And as a doctor in this hospital, tell me more
about the challenges in terms of having to make decisions
about how you treat people, how serious someone's injuries might be,
and who gets trianged first.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Yeah, that's a great question. So it was very disheartening
to see how they have to do it. But if
a patient has a bulletshot to the head, even if
it's potentially survivable, they may forego that patient for someone
who has less injury, and they basically just put that
patient from what they call the red zone in the
trauma bay to the black zone in the trauma bay
(05:49):
where that patient kind of just dies off and there's
just no time or resources to let the physicians and
nurses and texts take care of that patient. The National
House for those twelve ICU beds, at one point there
had eighty ICU patients eight and zero to the point
that we're putting ICO patients on wards. And the words
(06:09):
obviously just don't have the supplies and the specialized nurses
and specialized care that it takes for an ICU, so
you can imagine not enough ventilators, is not enough oxygen tanks,
and every single medical supply in between was a problem.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
And so what is it like for you treating these injuries?
Speaker 5 (06:30):
You know, as physicians, we like to compartmentalize our emotions.
You know, the first time we saw it, it was
quite overwhelming to see brain matter on the floor literally,
you know, intestines what we call extravagating outside of the
abdomen and just trying to tape it back in, and
(06:51):
the extent of human beings injured into a small trauma bay.
Noster Hospital was not made for this, so this trauma
bay is not massive by any means. And to the point,
there's not enough beds, so families are just putting the
patient on the floor, which is extremely dirty. It's blood everywhere.
You're trying to step between patients and you know, the
(07:13):
bottom of your shoe has blood all over it. We
actually had to move a patient and you know that
we didn't evaluate the back of the head yet and
there was brain just being you know, slid all over
the ground. So, I mean it was terrible, but we
didn't have time to process it. I found myself not
crying in Gaza. But when I got back to the States,
(07:34):
I found myself, you know, randomly just crying and randomly
staring into space. Just I think this is how I'm
processing it. But when I was there, there was just
no time to process it. It was just constant every day.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, doctor Brahman, thank you so much for your time.
I really appreciate you talking with me today.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Ruby off to the brain A deadly game of red
light green light for Gazans seeking food. Earlier this year,
on March TI, the Israeli government imposed a total blockade
on aid like food and medicine entering Gaza. When the
(08:18):
blockade was finally lifted, Israel didn't let the UN and
regular aid agencies go back to work. Instead, Israel took control,
creating aid distribution sites run by a private American company.
Now Gazans must go to highly militarized zones to collect food.
In reporting this story, our team reached out to around
a dozen people living in Gaza. Many of them are
(08:40):
too physically and emotionally exhausted to speak publicly about their experiences,
but they told us some version of the same thing.
The aid system in Gaza is deliberately broken. Another doctor
who sent us voice notes described his relative good fortune.
His stockpiled enough food to avoid the aid points where
billions are being attacked, and he won't let any of
(09:02):
his family go near them either.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
We have this concert here in Guz that if you
have enough money, you can buy your safety by not
going there to the getge of center and instend spend
your money on those overly briced goods.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
As he tells us about the inflated prices of basic goods,
you can hear explosions in the background.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
A kilogram of sugar used to cost one dollar before
the war and even during the seas fire, but it's
now almost one hundred dollars.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
He says. For those who can't pay and have no
choice but to go to these aid points, it's chaotic.
Drones fill the air and soldiers surround the eight points.
People are only allowed to go there when the IDF
says so, but there is no set schedule and little
warning about when they'll get the green light.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
There is a few drones that when the center or
door it turns on a green light indicating that it's
urban and start broadcasting. A voice by Eida christa rooms,
telling them that it is urban and you can claim
(10:16):
your head within, for example, twenty minutes and leave as
soon as boshof.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
In the Israeli newspaper Herets late last week, Israeli soldiers
admitted to deliberately firing at unarmed people waiting for aid
as a form of crowd control. The soldier told haretes
that once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they
know they can approach. Our only form of communication is gunfire,
the soldier said. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Etnahu and
(10:42):
Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the testimony as malicious falsehoods.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
One of our neighbors who was killed there was shot
in his abdomen. He's a guy in his thirties. He's
a father for three kids. Last rewards that those who
brought him to the hospital have mentioned, and I quote
here a man at susa Ula the car home sectem
(11:11):
Johnny in which translated for I beg you must to
let go of my kids, Please careful them. I left
them Hungary.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
On Friday, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterrez called
these aid centers inherently unsafe, saying the search for food
must never be a death sentence. Olga trev Co works
for the UN in humanitarian affairs. She's currently in Gaza City.
So Olga, welcome to seven AM. Thank you for coming
on the show. Thanks for having me, Olga. The Haretz
(11:44):
report quoted an Israeli soldier describing what is happening at
eight Points as a version of the children's game red
Light Green Light. When you read that report, what did
you think.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Well, we're clearly seeing that they are extremely dangerous. These
I wouldn't call them aid sites. I would say these
are militarized areas that put people at risk and force
people to choose between an impossible choice.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
And it's being distributed by a new organization, a group
back by the US and Israeli governments. What do you
know about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
So we're not part of this scheme in any way,
and we've made our position quite clear that we cannot
participate in a scheme that is not in line with
humanitarian principles that have been globally established. And we have
also repeatedly emphasized that we had a system in place
and we continue to have a system in place that
(12:46):
has been tested over many years, and we have decades
of experience in delivering aid and making sure that it
actually reaches the people in need and does not force
them to walk long distances or in anyway puts them
that additional risk that they may face at these locations,
and our position hasn't changed on that.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
And so you mentioned this a little bit. Tell me
more about what impact all of this is having on
the people who do still need aid in Gaza. Now,
how are they now approaching this?
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I mean, you know, it's really difficult to go out
anywhere in Gaza and see the faces of the people
and the kind of the carrying the weight of the
world's in difference on their shoulders. Some of them, I feel,
are really losing hope at this stage. Others are just
basically living from hour to hour, from day to day,
(13:46):
and they really don't know where their next meal is
going to come from. Of course, they cut corners everywhere,
and they prioritize their children over themselves. I mean, I
don't recognize some of my friends when I don't see
them for a few days, and then they come and
see me and they will have gotten so much dinner
and really unrecognizable at this point, So I think the
(14:10):
situation that we have now is the worst that we've
ever seen. I mean, all indicators are pointing to the
negative direction, including malnutrition of course continues to increase, and
the types of aight they're allowed to enter are not
everything that is needed. So shelter, for example, hasn't entered
(14:31):
for over four months. Same with fuel. It's been about
four months since any fuel has entered Gaza at all,
and the severity of it now really cannot be overstated.
I mean, if no fuel enters within immediate really within
the immediate term, we will face immediate loss of life
because more vital life saving equipment will have to shut down.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
And so, what in your view needs to happen to
ensure the safe district aid now in Gaza, Well, it's
very simple.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
What needs to happen is a consistent and unrestricted flow
of aid into Gaza through the various corridors that we have,
through the multiple crossings that are available. So they need
to open more crossings. They need to allow us to
bring aid and supplies into Gaza through these multiple corridors,
(15:29):
and our work needs to be enabled. I mean some
of our missions take days to complete and even then,
some of them, you know, may have waited for forty
plus hours and didn't actually come out with anything because
it was too dangerous, or you know, there was fighting
taking place and we have to maneuver our movements in
between the offensive that is ongoing. But beyond that, I
(15:53):
want to note that it's not just about aid. You know,
you can't put a number on the dignity. They need
much more than food, and they need much more than
just humanitarian assistance. They need life to have some sort
of semblance here, because I don't think that people have
(16:15):
felt like they've had any sort of life. And you know,
these conditions that were called living, they're not living conditions
in any way.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
And why do you think it is that Israel is
not allowing that unrestricted aid?
Speaker 4 (16:29):
Well, I think that would be a question for them.
I don't have an answer for that. We obviously have
done everything that we possibly could, and we continue to
do everything in our power to appeal to anyone who
is listening to highlight the extent of the needs and
that the only way to address them is by allowing
(16:51):
everything that is needed here to enter.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Olga, thank you so much for your time today. I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
That's Mac Sacsua.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
This episode of seven Am was produced by Haidi pet
and the seven Am team. It's our first episode under
new ownership. Our show was recently bought by an independent
media company called Solstice Media. Also in the news today,
(17:27):
after a nine week trial, the jury in the triple
murder trial of Mushroom cook Erin Patterson are finally deliberating
their verdict. Patterson has fleeted not guilty to all charges
and even took the stand to argue the deaths were
a tragic accident. Meanwhile, the prosecution called more than fifty
witnesses to give evidence over the course of the trial.
The verdict will be delivered once the twelve members of
(17:47):
the jury unanimously agree and from today. Minimum wages across
the country are increasing three point five percent. It's expected
that two point six million Australians will get a pay rise,
bringing the minimum wage to twenty four four dollars and
ninety five cents an hour, or nine hundred and forty
eight dollars per week. The new financial year also brings
an increase in employer contributions to superannuation, up from eleven
(18:09):
point five percent to twelve percent. I'm Ruby Jones. Thanks
for listening.
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