Ukrainians in Israel Face War Conditions Again
2023-11-25
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1Thousands of Ukrainians decided to flee war in their country and head to Israel after Russian forces invaded in 2022.
2But now those people are facing war conditions again as Israeli forces continue battling Hamas militants.
3Tatyana Prima fled to southern Israel from the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol 18 months ago with her husband and young daughter.
4The 38-year-old was thankful to arrive safely to Israel and thought she and her family had finally left the bombs behind.
5But Prima's sense of safety and calmness disappeared when Hamas militants invaded Israel on October 7.
6"All these sounds of war that we hear now, they sometimes work as a trigger that brings back memories of what we've gone through in Mariupol," she said.
7The Israeli government estimates more than 45,000 Ukrainians have fled to Israel since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
8Most of the refugees were trying to deal with war trauma experienced back in Ukraine when conflict broke out in Israel.
9Some have left Israel, but many remain and are refusing to again flee a war.
10Most have lost in-person support systems because of restrictions in Israel involving gatherings.
11Others have lost hope of reuniting with loved ones they left behind in Ukraine.
12When Hamas militants attacked on October 7, they killed about 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages.
13On that day, Prima awoke to the sound of alarms.
14She lives in the coastal city of Ashkelon, a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
15The crash of airstrikes and shelling has been continuous, as Israel pushes forward with its offensive against Hamas.
16Prima describes the situation as "deja vu," bringing back similar memories from Ukraine.
17Mariupol was one of Ukraine's hardest-hit cities in the war with Russia.
18The city was cut off and bombarded for weeks as people struggled for food, water and heat.
19During the war's early weeks, Prima cooked over an outdoor fire, used snow for drinking water and sheltered with other relatives just outside the city.
20As the shelling intensified, rockets fell around where Prima and her family stayed.
21After an incident in which her husband's hand was blown off while he searched for water, she decided to leave.
22The family arrived in Ashkelon in April 2022 and joined relatives of her husband there.
23Israeli defense systems block most incoming missiles from Hamas.
24But at least 80 have landed in populated areas or empty fields in Israel since the war began, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project reports.
25Prima said the conflict has intensified her feelings of isolation.
26This is because her community support groups have moved most activities online because of government restrictions on gatherings in public.
27Koen Sevenants is a mental health specialist who has worked with refugees and displaced people in several conflict areas.
28He told The Associated Press (AP) he finds such individuals often experience "hopelessness."
29Experts warn that if people who have not fully recovered from one traumatic incident are victimized again by a new one, the event that caused the trauma can seem worse.
30Refugee organizations have offered financial and food assistance to people in Israel who do not feel safe leaving their homes.
31But Olya Weinstein said these groups are not equipped to help all those in need.
32Her organization, Project Kesher, has been helping about 6,000 people who fled Ukraine, mostly with food.
33Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an unknown number of Ukrainians remain trapped in Gaza.
34Ukraine said at least 160 of them have been safely removed.
35Gaza's Health Ministry has estimated more than 12,700 Palestinians - most of them women and minors - have been killed since the war began.
36That number includes both civilian and Hamas militant deaths.
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Thousands of Ukrainians decided to flee war in their country and head to Israel after Russian forces invaded in 2022. But now those people are facing war conditions again as Israeli forces continue battling Hamas militants. 2Tatyana Prima fled to southern Israel from the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol 18 months ago with her husband and young daughter. The 38-year-old was thankful to arrive safely to Israel and thought she and her family had finally left the bombs behind. 3But Prima's sense of safety and calmness disappeared when Hamas militants invaded Israel on October 7. "All these sounds of war that we hear now, they sometimes work as a trigger that brings back memories of what we've gone through in Mariupol," she said. 4The Israeli government estimates more than 45,000 Ukrainians have fled to Israel since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Most of the refugees were trying to deal with war trauma experienced back in Ukraine when conflict broke out in Israel. 5Some have left Israel, but many remain and are refusing to again flee a war. Most have lost in-person support systems because of restrictions in Israel involving gatherings. Others have lost hope of reuniting with loved ones they left behind in Ukraine. 6When Hamas militants attacked on October 7, they killed about 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages. On that day, Prima awoke to the sound of alarms. She lives in the coastal city of Ashkelon, a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip. The crash of airstrikes and shelling has been continuous, as Israel pushes forward with its offensive against Hamas. Prima describes the situation as "deja vu," bringing back similar memories from Ukraine. 7Mariupol was one of Ukraine's hardest-hit cities in the war with Russia. The city was cut off and bombarded for weeks as people struggled for food, water and heat. During the war's early weeks, Prima cooked over an outdoor fire, used snow for drinking water and sheltered with other relatives just outside the city. 8As the shelling intensified, rockets fell around where Prima and her family stayed. After an incident in which her husband's hand was blown off while he searched for water, she decided to leave. The family arrived in Ashkelon in April 2022 and joined relatives of her husband there. 9Israeli defense systems block most incoming missiles from Hamas. But at least 80 have landed in populated areas or empty fields in Israel since the war began, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project reports. 10Prima said the conflict has intensified her feelings of isolation. This is because her community support groups have moved most activities online because of government restrictions on gatherings in public. 11Koen Sevenants is a mental health specialist who has worked with refugees and displaced people in several conflict areas. He told The Associated Press (AP) he finds such individuals often experience "hopelessness." Experts warn that if people who have not fully recovered from one traumatic incident are victimized again by a new one, the event that caused the trauma can seem worse. 12Refugee organizations have offered financial and food assistance to people in Israel who do not feel safe leaving their homes. But Olya Weinstein said these groups are not equipped to help all those in need. Her organization, Project Kesher, has been helping about 6,000 people who fled Ukraine, mostly with food. 13Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an unknown number of Ukrainians remain trapped in Gaza. Ukraine said at least 160 of them have been safely removed. Gaza's Health Ministry has estimated more than 12,700 Palestinians - most of them women and minors - have been killed since the war began. That number includes both civilian and Hamas militant deaths. 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 16_____________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18trigger - n. an event or situation that makes something else happen 19trauma - n. severe shock caused by a bad experience 20deja vu - n. a feeling that you have already experienced a particular thing at another time 21isolate - v. to separate someone or something from other people or things