Alexandros Fayyad, one of the Greeks repatriated on Friday, described the moments of horror he lived in the Gaza Strip before reaching Athens after 28 days of agony. "There was no sign that the war would start, one day before October 7," he said to ERT.
"There are no shelters to protect anyone in Gaza," he noted, before describing the untargeted Israeli bombardment even "on people who were waiting in line for a piece of bread".
At the same time, he also talks about a complete lack of essential food items. "I was looking for a kilo of spaghetti to feed 30-40 people," he said.
“I had gone to Gaza to visit my parents 20 days before the war started. Nothing foretold that war would break out a day before October 7th. On the morning of October 7, my brother takes me and tells me, 'We have a war'," explained Fayyad.
"I open the window and see rockets, rockets, planes, and people left and right looking for somewhere to hide in a chaotic situation. We were ordinary citizens.
"Unfortunately for me, I lived next to the port, and this area was very heavily bombed in the first few days. Whole buildings were falling in the port.
"There are no shelters; there is no place to protect someone in Gaza"
"There are no shelters in Gaza. People either stay in their homes or gather in some squares, and they are unfortunately bombed. There is no place to hide in Gaza," he said.
"People go to churches to hospital forecourts, but even these places, as it turned out, are unsafe. The church was bombed, and so many people were killed, and the hospitals were bombed," Fayyad added.
Speaking about how he managed to leave Gaza, he said, "Fortunately, I had a car, and I put my things in the car one by one and went south because supposedly the southern part is safer.
"I went to another city, but unfortunately, the same thing happened there too, as the city is a beach—attacks not only from the air but also from the sea. Things are tragic. Apart from the shelling, there is no electricity, water, or basic food items.
"People can wait 5 – 6 hours in a queue for a piece of bread. The same thing happens with water. I lived through all this."
"I was looking for a kilo of spaghetti or rice for 30 to 40 displaced people from the north"
"I was looking; I was looking to find something for a family. Because, unfortunately, they all come together," he said.
"Because when there was a move from north to south, relatives and friends come, we necessarily have to accommodate them and as a result, there are many people. I was looking for a kilo of spaghetti or rice for 30 to 40 people.
"I don't know of any tunnels where Hamas is hiding. I hear that they exist, but I haven't seen them," he added and continued: "The people who are being killed must be saved. Stop the ongoing genocide. What is wrong with this world... 4,000 children were killed.
"They bomb at night, and in the morning, with daylight, you see the dead on the streets. There is no electricity in Gaza. Even telecommunications are down. No one can call an ambulance.
"People who were waiting to get a piece of bread were bombed. People went to hide near a hospital, and it was bombed. I'm talking about the people who are being exterminated."
One of the first passengers to appear in the arrivals hall last Thursday was Alexandros Fayyad, who was met by his wife.
“The situation in Gaza is difficult, it is horrible. It was a huge effort for us to leave. Initially we had no gas to get to the border. We got to a point and then went on foot” he told Kathimerini last week.
"Unfortunately, things are difficult and I find it difficult to describe them. There is absolute destruction, there is no life, there is nothing. As the days go by, things get harder. There are dead people everywhere. There is nothing, no food, everything is gone.
"I don’t feel relieved to be back, because my soul is there, because I have lived through this whole situation and it is difficult to realise it.”
Two families were among the Greeks who arrived.
The Ministry of Migration and Asylum has said it will place a facility in Elefsina on standby to accommodate those who need it.
Four of the arrivals from Gaza have opted to stay in the facility, which is otherwise used to host Ukrainian families.
READ MORE: Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis Criticizes Western Complicity in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
