Gaza: Israeli air strike warning leaves BBC reporter and family homeless once more

On a Tuesday afternoon in Gaza, just before 3pm, the author, a reporter for BBC TV News, received a distressing call from his wife. She tearfully informed him that they had been instructed to leave their apartment due to a warning of an imminent Israeli airstrike on the neighboring building. Panicked, he told his wife to grab their children and leave immediately, and reached out to a colleague named Mahmoud for help. This was the second time in five days that the author's family had to flee their home to escape the bombings. Earlier that week, they had packed up their belongings in Gaza City and moved south upon the Israeli's advice for their own safety. They joined the author's father-in-law, wife's sister, and their families in the city of Khan Younis. However, finding a place to stay proved challenging as they struggled to accommodate the influx of displaced families. After a long search, they managed to secure a house in the neighborhood of Al Amal, hopeful that its bustling environment would ensure their safety with the presence of numerous people. Their hope for stability was short-lived when the owner of the building received a phone call from someone claiming to be an Israeli soldier. This caller checked the owner's name and warned that the building should be evacuated as the neighboring building, merely a meter away, was to be targeted for destruction. Abandoning their possessions, the families quickly left and sought refuge at a safe distance, leaving uncertainty as to when the bombing would occur. In an attempt to prioritize their safety, the author instructed his family to seek shelter at the Red Cross hospital, approximately 700 meters away. However, this left the author in a predicament, unsure of his next move. Desperate, he approached a nearby house near the hospital and asked the occupants to care for his wife and children temporarily so he could figure out their next steps. The author confesses his struggle as a journalist torn between his professional responsibilities and his obligations as a caretaker, struggling to provide food and water for his family in their current state of homelessness. While the author has covered previous wars in Gaza, this is the first time his family has been directly affected. The emotional toll weighs heavily on him as he grapples with the guilt of exposing his family to danger in his line of work.