GAZA, (PIC)
At one of the main intersections in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, a traffic police officer stands amidst busy, relentless traffic. Cars, primitive carts, and citizens trying to cross between damaged streets.
He raises his hand to organize traffic, clears the way for an ambulance, then quickly looks up. The sky here is never out of sight, above the city, drones hover permanently, and their sound has become part of the daily details in Gaza, to the extent that many automatically raise their heads with any sudden sound, as if watching the sky has become a daily reflex that requires no thought.
In these corners of Gaza, the task of the traffic police officer is no longer related only to organizing the movement of vehicles, but has turned into a daily task fraught with danger, during which police officers try to maintain a minimum level of order in the streets, at a time when the Strip faces complex situations due to the war, destruction, and continuous crowding.
The intersection that never rests
Since the morning hours, movement in the streets of Khan Yunis begins to escalate, damaged streets, large parts of rubble on both sides, traffic lights out of service, and vehicles moving with difficulty in more than one direction.
Amidst this scene, “Abu Mohammad”, a traffic police officer who preferred to be mentioned with his first name, has been standing at his post for hours.
He tells the PIC reporter, “Before the war, organizing traffic was the basis, but today our responsibilities have become much greater than that, sometimes we organize the movement of displaced people, sometimes we open the road for ambulances, and sometimes we intervene to resolve crowding in a damaged street or try to keep people away from a place close to the bombing.”
Then he stops for a bit, looks toward the sky before completing, “The thing that accompanies us most during work is the sound of planes, even while you are standing among cars, part of your attention remains above, because you do not know what could happen or when.”
He adds that police officers are sometimes forced to leave the intersection for several minutes during low-flying or when hearing abnormal movement of planes, then they return immediately after that to their posts.
“There is no actual alternative, people need someone to organize movement, especially in crowded streets.”
Working under targeting
During the past months, police points, headquarters, and field personnel in the Gaza Strip were subjected to targeting more than once, which made the presence of police personnel in the streets fraught with double risks.
According to official statistics, it has resulted in the martyrdom of at least 46 elements and officers from the Ministry of Interior since the ceasefire in Gaza on October 10 last year.
A field officer in Khan Yunis, who preferred not to mention his name, says, “We know that our presence in the street is not easy, and every element going out to work knows the magnitude of the risks, but leaving the streets without organization in the current circumstances means greater chaos and additional suffering for the people.”
He adds, “At many times, what is required of us is more than organizing traffic, we help in opening roads, coordinate the passage of ambulances, and deal with very crowded places, especially after the damage to many of the main streets.”
He points out that the loss of a number of their colleagues during the past period left a significant impact within the police crews, but that did not stop their presence in the intersections, “fear exists, and this is natural, but work continues.”
At home: Long waiting
In a damaged house south of Khan Yunis, the father of one of the traffic police members sits holding his mobile phone, following the news and trying to contact his son from time to time.
The man says, “From the moment he leaves the house, anxiety begins. We follow the news constantly, and any close explosion sound makes us try to contact (him) directly.”
He adds, looking at the phone screen, “Sometimes he is late in responding due to work, and these minutes are very difficult for us. We do not feel comfortable until he returns at the end of the day.”
Like many families in Gaza, the families of police personnel live double daily tension; the anxiety of war, and the anxiety of waiting for those who work in the field.
A presence that makes people feel reassured
Near Nasser Hospital, driver Yusuf Abu Surour waits to load passengers at a crowded street.
He says that the presence of traffic police at this stage has become very important for people, adding, “The situation in the streets is difficult, and the crowding is large, especially with the damage to roads and the large number of carts and cars. The presence of a policeman at the intersection eases (traffic) a lot.”
He continues, “Many times I saw police personnel opening the road for the ambulance or helping people pass quickly from a crowded place, despite the circumstances, their presence gives people a sense that things are still under control, even if at the minimum level.”
Despite everything, the traffic policeman still stands in his place, raises his hand to organize traffic, follows the movement of people, and looks back at the sky between one moment and another.
He tries to facilitate crossing the road in a city where the roads alone are no longer difficult, but rather the entire life.