'Be careful': Gazans warn Lebanon about cost of fighting against Israel
As Lebanon lurches towards full-scale war with Israel, calls for de-escalation emanating from a very unlikely source: The Gaza Strip.
Just as the Hamas terrorist organization has fired well over 10,000 rockets into Israel, missiles have also consistently been launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah forces over the last year.
However, following the killing of 12 Druze children playing soccer in Magdal Shams, the Israel Defense Forces have been taking decisive action to deal with the northern border threat posed by Hezbollah, targeting individual terrorists with exploding handheld devices, and destroying multiple rocket launchers.
While Hezbollah continues to strike further into Israeli territory, Gaza residents have been addressing the people of Lebanon on social media with messages of advice and caution.
Ynet News reported that there have been multiple videos released that provide practical suggestions for coping with war and the realities of conflict with Israel.
Hala al-Akhsham, a chef living in Gaza, has been displaced several times over and urged Lebanese residents to be ready to quickly evacuate.
"Prepare a bag, put money and gold in it, along with all your personal documents (ID cards, licenses, academic certificates, and birth certificates). Keep the bag by the door and make sure someone is responsible for grabbing it immediately in an emergency."
Having endured one winter during wartime, al-Akhsham also recommended packing "two tracksuits for each child in their school bags along with your personal hygiene products."
A resident of Gaza named Wasim shared a video on TikTok from a tent inside the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in Gaza, Gaza, in which he said: "Don’t fight. War only brings destruction and sets you back decades. Don’t let war destroy you."
Mohamed Fayyad, a Palestinian blogger in the same area, posted a video, where he said: "I’m calling on the Lebanese — there’s a chance you’ll soon be relocated to Al-Mawasi, be careful."
According to Ynet, many similar videos are surfacing on the internet, including one from a man in Gaza named Mohamed al-Majaydeh. He posted a video from Deir al-Balah after being displaced from his home, warning: "War is death and humiliation. We’re living like the dead. May God protect Lebanon from war and may this nightmare end."
Several of these videos from Gaza warn that war with Israel is not worth the pain it causes, encouraging Lebanese civilians to put pressure on Hezbollah to de-escalate and avoid being in the same situation they are.
According to the Israel War Database, some 10,000 rockets have been fired into Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, including the use of drones, missiles, rockets and anti-tank missiles coming from six different directions, predominantly Gaza and Lebanon.
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Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
