Exiles fleeing Gaza live precarious lives

It has been 10 months since my household left Gaza, however we’re nonetheless dwelling with the loss, ache and affect of the battle.

This month, simply earlier than the anniversary of the battle, we skilled eight of essentially the most traumatic hours of that interval.

We obtained a video message from my spouse’s cousin in Gaza, which learn: “Tanks surrounded us and have been firing on us. These could possibly be our final moments.

“Pray for us and do no matter you possibly can to avoid wasting us.”

My spouse collapsed and even misplaced consciousness: her uncle, aunt and their relations, a complete of 26 individuals, have been attacked.

Israeli assaults and assaults on cities and villages throughout Gaza – concentrating on Hamas – have been commonplace for a lot of this yr.

We heard nothing from them after a number of hours. They have been bombarded all through. Lastly, a voice immediate: “4 individuals are injured. Your aunt Wafa is bleeding and her situation is essential.”

I made numerous calls to the Purple Cross, the Palestinian Purple Crescent Society, and anybody who may assist.

Eight hours later, the Israeli military lastly allowed them to evacuate and evacuate the wounded on foot.

However it was too late for Wafa – she succumbed to her accidents shortly after arriving on the hospital.

We nonetheless have many family members in Gaza. My father is there, dwelling in a tent within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, which was bombed once more this week.

I usually felt responsible once I referred to as him from Istanbul, the place I had fled with my spouse and two youngsters.

There are lots of people like me in Türkiye, in Egypt, and around the globe – within the UK, the US, Europe – and we now have to go there to seek out security.

Not everybody can get out, solely these with sufficient cash to pay the excessive tolls to different locations.

However since November, greater than 100,000 Gazans from Egypt alone have moved south into the nation.

There they weren’t beneath direct risk from Israeli bombs. However many are struggling to feed their households, present schooling for his or her youngsters, and easily rebuild the fundamentals of regular life.

In a bustling outside cafe in Cairo’s Nasr Metropolis, dozens of newly arrived refugees huddle in small teams, smoking hookahs and sharing tales about their homeland.

They attempt to alleviate the ache of eager for somebody who isn’t presently with them. They firmly consider that the battle might be over quickly and so they can return. However there’s all the time an uneasy feeling inside.

A loud conventional Palestinian tune performs from the audio system, successful by Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf, who gained the Arab Idol competitors just a few years in the past.

“Cross Gaza and kiss its sand. Its individuals are courageous, its individuals robust.

Abu Anas Ayyad, 58, sat and listened. In his earlier life, he was generally known as the “King of Gravel” and was a profitable businessman who provided development supplies to development websites throughout Gaza.

He and his household – together with 4 youngsters – escaped. However: “Each missile that hits a constructing in Gaza breaks my coronary heart.

“I nonetheless have household and mates there,” he stated.

“All this might have been prevented. However Hamas sees it in a different way.

He regretted the assault on Israel by Iranian-backed teams on October 7, 2023, and its present penalties.

“As a lot as I really like Gaza, I can’t come again if Hamas stays in energy,” he stated. He doesn’t need his youngsters to “develop into pawns in a harmful recreation performed by reckless leaders on behalf of Iran.”

Sitting close by is Mahmoud Al Khozondr, who ran his household’s well-known hummus and falafel store in Gaza earlier than the battle. It is an establishment within the space – identified for its high-quality meals and movie star clientele. The late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat was a daily customer, usually at its desk.

Mahmoud confirmed me images on his cellphone of his former well-appointed house. They now stay in a cramped two-room residence. His youngsters can not go to highschool.

“It is a depressing life,” he stated. “We misplaced every thing at house. However we should rise once more,” he stated.

“We have to feed our kids and supply assist to the people who find themselves nonetheless in Gaza.”

Life in exile in Egypt was not straightforward. Authorities enable Palestinians to remain briefly however don’t grant formal residency rights. They restrict entry to schooling and different essential companies.

Many Gazans attempt to ship a refund to assist family members nonetheless in Gaza, however remittance charges are excessive and the army chamber expenses a 30 p.c low cost.

“It’s heartbreaking to see revenue from the struggling of our family members,” Mahmoud Saqr advised me.

He as soon as owned an electronics retailer in Gaza. Today he has to go to a retailer in Cairo with a bundle of money to switch cash to his sister.

“There was no receipt, no proof — only a affirmation just a few hours later that they’d obtained the cash,” he advised me, describing the method.

“It is dangerous as a result of we do not know who was concerned within the deal, however we now have no alternative.”

These are determined instances for everybody.

Throughout my yr in Türkiye, I attempted in useless to create a peaceable dwelling surroundings for my household.

However each time we go to a restaurant, my youngsters reminisce about their favourite locations in Gaza, their massive home, their recreation retailer, their mates on the equestrian membership, their classmates.

A number of the college students have been killed in ongoing Israeli air strikes.

However since October seventh, time has stood nonetheless for us. Now we have not moved on from that day.

Our our bodies might have escaped, however our souls and hearts are nonetheless linked to our family members in Gaza.