We Fled War to Die in an Earthquake, Says Iraqi Woman Mourning Family in Türkiye

An aerial view taken with a drone shows collapsed buildings as rescue works continue in the aftermath of a major earthquake in the Besni district of Adiyaman city, Türkiye, 08 February 2023. (EPA)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows collapsed buildings as rescue works continue in the aftermath of a major earthquake in the Besni district of Adiyaman city, Türkiye, 08 February 2023. (EPA)
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We Fled War to Die in an Earthquake, Says Iraqi Woman Mourning Family in Türkiye

An aerial view taken with a drone shows collapsed buildings as rescue works continue in the aftermath of a major earthquake in the Besni district of Adiyaman city, Türkiye, 08 February 2023. (EPA)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows collapsed buildings as rescue works continue in the aftermath of a major earthquake in the Besni district of Adiyaman city, Türkiye, 08 February 2023. (EPA)

Six years ago, Rehab Talal and her family fled the ISIS-held city of Mosul in northern Iraq seeking shelter in Türkiye, but seven members of her family died, including a week-old baby, when her parents' house collapsed in the earthquake.

When Talal learned that the earthquake had struck the region where her parents and other family members lived, in the southeastern Adiyaman province, she rushed there, only to find a scene of devastation.

"I couldn't find the building, the entire area was flattened," Talal, who lives in another Turkish province, said over the phone.

The combined death toll across Türkiye and neighboring Syria from Monday's tremor climbed above 11,000 on Wednesday.

Talal said seven of her 13-member family had died. The bodies of her father, two brothers and four nieces and nephews remained on the ground in front of the collapsed building.

"The corpses have swollen, it's the third day, the bodies are on the street, no one has removed them," she said. "If they don't bury them here, we want to take them to Iraq."

Thousands of refugees from Iraq fled into Türkiye during the US-backed operation to drive out ISIS in 2016.

ISIS’s brutal rule, which emerged in Iraq and Syria in 2014, came to an end in Mosul when Iraqi and international forces defeated the group in 2017.

"We left Iraq because we were looking for peace and safety; my sister and husband were killed. We faced a disaster there to face another one here ... we fled wars to die in an earthquake," Talal said.



Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble
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Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Moein Abu Odeh clambered up a pile of rubble in southern Gaza, searching for clothes, shoes, anything he could sell to raise cash more than a year since Israel started its relentless bombardments.

The father-of-four delved under blocks and brushed away piles of concrete dust at the site of one airstrike in the wrecked city of Khan Younis. His plan was to sell what he found to buy flour.

"If food and drink were available, believe me, I would give (these clothes) to charity," he said. "But the struggles we are going through (mean we) have to sell our clothes to eat and drink."

Widespread shortages and months of grinding war have generated a trade in old clothing, much of it salvaged from the homes of people who have died in the conflict.

At one makeshift market, shoes, shirts, sweaters and sneakers were laid out on dusty blankets, Reuters reported.

A girl tried on a single worn-out boot, which could come in handy this winter if she can afford it in Gaza's ruined economy.

A trader got an edge on his competitors by shouting out that his wares were European.

One man laughed as he got a young boy to try on a green jacket.

"We get clothing from a man whose house was destroyed. He was digging in the concrete to get some (clothing) and we buy them like this and sell them at a good price," displaced Palestinian Louay Abdel-Rahman said.

He and his family arrived in the city from another part of Gaza with only the clothes they were wearing. So he also keeps some back for them. "The seasons have changed from summer to winter and we need clothing," he said.

In April, the UN estimated it would take 14 years to dispose of the wreckage in Gaza. The UN official overseeing the problem said the clean-up would cost at least $1.2 billion.

More than 128,000 buildings have been destroyed or severely or moderately damaged in Gaza as a result of the conflict, the UN says. Underneath all of that are seams of mangled clothes.

"All our children only have short-sleeve clothing and nobody is helping them," Saeed Doula, a father-of-seven, said. "The war is all-encompassing."