Karen Shalom, Gaza–Israel–Egypt border. – Dominican journalist Diana Sánchez, from De Último Minuto, toured one of the most dangerous areas in the world this Wednesday, as part of the special coverage she is doing as part of the delegation of Dominican communicators invited by the Embassy of Israel.
The scenario is critical. Barely hours after an Israeli airstrike brought down Tayba II Tower, a residential building near the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, leaving at least 17 dead, the Israeli army reiterated the order to evacuate the civilian population and warned that remaining in the city will be “extremely dangerous.” The destroyed building, according to the military report, was used by Hamas for intelligence work.
A first-line coverage
From Karen Shalom, in the triple border of Gaza, Israel and Egypt, Sánchez toured the humanitarian corridor with Israeli authorities, a space enabled between Egypt and Gaza, for the entry of aid. Hundreds of trucks leave every day loaded with basic products such as food, medicine, clothing and hygiene items, many of them sent by the United Arab Emirates and previously inspected by Israel.
Sánchez reiterated that the area is under tension and while developing the agenda he could hear some of the “bomb blasts” that brought down the building in Gaza, as he was approximately a kilometer and a half from the Strip at that moment.
Context of the conflict
The coverage comes amid a resurgence of violence. On Monday, Hamas carried out an attack in Jerusalem; on Tuesday, Israel responded by attacking leaders of the group in Qatar; and today, Wednesday, the air offensive hit the Gaza Strip again.
The current Israeli offensive has its roots in the October 7, 2023 attack, when Hamas burst in with violence that left more than 1,200 dead and some 251 kidnapped, including civilians, children, soldiers, and foreigners. Almost two years later, 48 of those hostages remain in captivity in Gaza (47 captured that day), with barely 20 confirmed alive and the anguish that at least 26 would have died at the hands of their captors.
This human drama adds to a background of decades of territorial dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, exacerbated since 2007 with Hamas’s arrival to power and the Israeli blockade on Gaza, a cycle of violence and suffering that continues to mark the lives of millions without a solution in sight.
With this coverage,
De Último Minuto becomes one of the few Dominican media outlets to have a direct presence on the ground in a conflict that holds the world’s attention.
