Middle East Conflict also Upsets Carinthia

ORF Carinthia - October 11, 2023

German original: https://kaernten.orf.at/stories/3227931/

The Hamas attack on Israel and the massive counteroffensive on the Gaza Strip have been shaking the world for days. Hundreds have been kidnapped, thousands killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. What will happen next is completely open. The atrocities of the past few days have also been felt in Carinthia.

Actually, the Austrian Armed Forces wanted to start the evacuation of Austrians from Israel on Wednesday. But a technical defect in the transport plane delayed the rescue operation. And that in an already turbulent time. Harry Koller of the Austrian-Israeli Society of Carinthia worked in Israel for seven years and knows many of those affected. "When you have such a contact and have been to Israel often enough yourself, it is not the easiest time for me personally at the moment."

Emotional situation

His acquaintances did not want to give an interview because the situation is simply too emotional at the moment. Help can hardly be given from Carinthia apart from expressions of solidarity. "I personally wrote to all my friends that if necessary, my doors are open. If they want to get out of the country and spend a few days in peace. The offer hasn't been accepted yet, but I think just that they know there is an alternative is immensely important right now," Koller said. The Israeli community here in Carinthia, by the way, is extremely small. Only a handful are drawn here for professional reasons, for example.

At the EU level, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke out on Wednesday. She is sticking to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, even though they are ruled by the radical Islamic Hamas. For Harry Koller, this is a necessary step: not all of the two million people there are automatically Hamas fighters.

"If you look at the Gaza Strip, which in terms of size is about three times the area of Klagenfurt, but more than two million people live there, then you can assume that not all of them are so radicalized and Hamas fighters. The vast majority are civilians."

Carinthian doctor in Gaza Strip

Israel immediately launched a counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack. Diyani Dewasurendra has been working there for months. The general practitioner from Velden reports how even hospitals and ambulances are shelled. She is in the middle of the city. "We get the shock waves and the vibrations and of course we hear the launching of the rockets and the bombs hitting in the distance. The number of wounded is very high. We just know that the hospitals are overcrowded with patients and the staff is also in great danger."

The doctor is now in a UN building. Leaving Gaza is out of the question at the moment, she said. "There is no safe passage, we are staying once now and it is being reviewed daily what the possibilities are, but can't anyone leave Gaza." Diyani Dewasurendra tries to block out the constant threat. It's about saving lives, she says.