The four-story Jewish Community Center in Larnaca, Cyprus is usually pretty quiet. Jewish pilgrims went there mainly to pray. Many of them do not forget to taste the food of the community center. Another objective for visitors is to learn about the internment camps once operated by the UK in Cyprus.

During World War II, more than 53,000 Jews who survived the massacres of the German Nazis were resettled in those concentration camps.

They were there from 1946 to 1949. In 1949, the last 10,000 of these Jews immigrated to the newly formed state of Israel.

The image of the community center in Larnaca city is different now. Many Jews who left Israel took refuge in the community center after the attack by Hamas, the armed group of the Palestinian independence movement, on October 7. As a result, a critical situation has arisen there. The Jews who took refuge had only one goal - to have a little peace.

On October 7, 1,200 people were killed in Israel by Hamas attacks. More than 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas members. Ari Raskin, the main religious leader of the Jews in Larnaca, said, "About 1,000 Jews are coming to this city every day.

More than 16,000 Israelis have come to Cyprus in search of peace after the attacks by Hamas.

Ari Raskin said the community center shelters single mothers with children, children terrified of Hamas attacks, and even those who can't stand the sound of rockets whizzing overhead every day.

They are being helped with bed, food, temporary accommodation—everything as per capacity.

Meanwhile, since the day of the attack by Hamas, the Israeli forces have been continuously bombarding the Palestinian Gaza. More than 11,000 people died in the valley. Most of them are women and children. Many Jews are fleeing to Cyprus, fearing a major attack on Israel in response.

Millions of reservists were drafted into Israel's military after the Hamas offensive. Many of them came from abroad to join the military.

They are stopping in Cyprus before reaching Israel. Ari Raskin said, 'We saw young Jewish reservists coming from countries as diverse as Argentina. I can write a book about the events I see now, the generosity of the people of Cyprus.

A 23-year-old man named Israel Perez was in Cyprus for five days with his friends. He was waiting at Larnaca airport to return to Israel. It will take them only 40 minutes to return home by plane. Perez said, 'We wanted to stay away from all the noise, rocket attacks, conflicts.

So a couple of friends from the country spent five days in the town of Ayia Napa. They feel safe here.

Israelis haven't been the only ones to visit Cyprus in the past few weeks. Citizens of other countries have also gone. Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kambos estimates that more than 100,000 people from the region, including Lebanon, have entered Cyprus due to the conflict. And since October 7, more than 1,000 women, men and children from 35 countries have arrived in Cyprus.

 Hubert Faustman, a professor of history and political science at the University of Nicosia, believes that Cyprus has proven to be a safe 'paradise'. "However, if large numbers of refugees from Syria and Lebanon flee to Cyprus and stay here until the end, the situation may change," he said.

A real war would then lead to real chaos in Cyprus.'

Meanwhile, the President of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides, condemned the attack by Hamas in Israel. He also supported Israel's right to 'self-defence'.

At the same time, he showed sympathy for the Palestinian civilians in Gaza. President Christodoulides has proposed the creation of a humanitarian corridor to allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged Gaza by sea. His aim is to quickly send a large amount of relief aid to the valley through that corridor.

Cypriot officials have said that if Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza is paused and the situation in the Valley is favorable, aid ships could begin to be sent from the Cyprus port of Limassol.

Gaza is 255 kilometers from this main port of Cyprus.

"Because of its geographical features, Cyprus can play an important role," said Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a US-based think tank.

On a visit to Cyprus last Wednesday, he said, if the European Union wants to become more important geopolitically, then the Eastern Mediterranean region will be a big testing ground for them.