TOKYO: Maiko Shirane, a staff member of Doctors Without Borders, recounted her tough days in the Gaza Strip in a recent news conference after evacuating from the Palestinian territory to Egypt.

“It was really extreme. Every day there was a shortage of supplies, and I felt fears that we would have nothing to eat the next day,” Shirane, 36, told the online news conference Saturday.

Shirane was sent to Gaza in May as a human resources manager in a medical aid project. She was working in northern Gaza and continued to stay there for a while after Islamist militant group Hamas mounted the massive attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

After the Israeli military issued an evacuation order Oct. 13, she moved to southern Gaza. She stayed at a U.N. facility as an evacuee together with other staff of Doctors Without Borders, a major international aid group.

“I never felt safe there. Missiles could have flown to us anytime,” she said.

On Oct. 27, telephone and other communications services were cut off, making it impossible to contact food stores.

“We couldn’t see how we could get food and water. In the face of many casualties, we couldn’t call an ambulance, and we couldn’t save lives that could be saved,” Shirane said. “It was a big worry mentally and physically.”

She went to the Rafah crossing by car to evacuate to Egypt after receiving a notification Wednesday morning. She needed to wait at the southern border of besieged Gaza for hours.

“I was worried that I would really be able to cross, and I had various feelings about having to leave local staff,” Shirane said.

She felt “relieved” after being able to evacuate, but she added, “The war is not over.”

“There remains lack of supplies and access to appropriate medical care. The situation has not changed,” she said.

“Indiscriminate violence is wrong,” she stressed. “It is important for the international community to raise its voice to call for an immediate ceasefire.”

JIJI Press