A 12-year-old Australian boy stuck in the Gaza Strip has made a desperate plea to the Australian government to help his family return home.
Yazan Hellis, from Melbourne, is currently in custody with his mother and sister as Israel continues to bomb Gaza.
The offensive comes after Israel was ambushed by Hamas on October 7, with the terrorist group firing thousands of rockets and killing more than 1,200 residents.
Yazan said he does not know how he, his mother and seven-year-old sister will leave Gaza after a blockade was placed in the region.
Only a limited number of truckloads of aid have been delivered to Gaza – reportedly around four percent of what typically arrives in the territory each day – raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Yazan Hellis (pictured), 12, was one of 51 Australians trapped in Gaza when it came under siege by Israel following the deadly Hamas terror attack on October 7.
Israeli aircraft hit Gaza on Saturday night, with additional attacks on Sunday on two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank (photo: Rapha in the southern Gaza Strip)
“It’s really stressful… like you’ve never been in a war, so I’m really scared,” Yazan said. 7 News.
“I saw people lying dead on the ground, legs everywhere, arms everywhere… I want to go back home, back to Australia, but the borders are closed and there’s bombing everywhere.”
About 51 Australians are reportedly trapped in Gaza, according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Yazan said his mother was “really, really stressed and scared.”
She has begged the Australian government to intervene and help the family return home.
It is understood the family arrived in Gaza about two weeks ago to visit relatives.
A second convoy of 17 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday, following an initial delivery of 20 trucks on Saturday following intensive negotiations.
The trucks are delivering the first convoy of humanitarian supplies since Israel began the siege 12 days ago and after further heavy Israeli bombardments that killed dozens of Palestinians.
According to the UN, the enclave needs 100 trucks a day to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
It is understood there have been no fuel deliveries, with Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Worker Agency, warning on Sunday that supplies would run out “in three days”.
“Without fuel there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and… aid will not reach many citizens in desperate need,” he said.
Yazan (along with his sister) has made a desperate plea to the Australian government to help his family get home
One of a number of trucks carrying aid to residents of the war-torn Gaza Strip
No people have been allowed in from Gaza as Israel pressures the enclave’s 2.3 million residents ahead of a planned invasion of the region’s north.
The Australian government currently does not have access to Gaza but has said that anyone who could cross the border into Egypt would receive assistance.
On Sunday (Iranian time), Iran issued a chilling warning to the United States that Israel’s war with Hamas could “spiral out of control” if it does not “immediately” cease attacks on Gaza.
“I warn the US and its ally (Israel) that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any time and the region will spiral out of control,” the Iranian minister said. Foreign Affairs.
The Israeli government has also warned that it will target Tehran if Lebanese Hezbollah escalates the conflict.
Israeli planes hit Gaza on Saturday night, with additional strikes on Sunday on two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank frequented by militants.
Hamas militants stormed the border with Israel on October 7, launching a deadly attack that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
They also seized more than 200 hostages in what has been described as the worst attack ever in Israel’s history.