A Kashmiri academic, Lubna Nazir Shaboo, along with her family, is currently stuck in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict and has made an urgent plea to the Indian government for rescue. Lubna, a resident of Srinagar, explained that the bombardment has made movement impossible, and the Gaza Strip is completely surrounded, leaving no safe exit.

“We are not able to go anywhere because there is no safe place for us anywhere and the Gaza Strip is too small and it is closed from every side. There are no exit points over here,” she said in a social media video. 

The situation in Gaza is dire, with over 1,100 people, including 326 children, reported killed in Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes, and thousands more injured. Lubna and her family find themselves in a perilous situation, and their internet access is unreliable, making communication challenging.

Compounding the crisis, Gaza’s only power station has been shut down due to a lack of fuel, potentially affecting hospital operations. Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, has a limited supply of fuel for its backup generators.

Efforts to supply humanitarian relief to Gaza are facing significant challenges, as Egyptian security sources oppose establishing secure passages for refugees seeking to leave the enclave. In response, the Indian government has launched Operation Ajay to facilitate the return of Indians from Israel who wish to come back home.