Palestinians in Gaza caught in an endless cycle of displacement

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The world marked World Refugee Day on Thursday as Israeli airstrikes attacked camps for displaced people in Gaza, where the majority were already refugees before the outbreak of the current war.

About 80 percent of Gaza’s population are refugees who were forced from their homes when the state of Israel was established in 1948, according to the UN. They have retained their refugee status for more than 70 years because no solution has been found for them and many cling to their “right of return” – a dream rejected by Israel.

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza in October, most of the enclave’s residents have been displaced again.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees estimates that more than 75 percent of the 2.3 million residents have been displaced within the besieged strip since October, with many forced to flee several times. Others managed to cross the Egyptian border and travel to other countries to become refugees again.

Most say they took the opportunity to leave Gaza to protect their children, but their hearts remain with those who remain.

“I am not happy with this new stage. I am still connected to my family in Gaza, who did not have the chance to leave, and I worry about them all the time,” said Amira Ismael, whose work in an international organization allowed her to s to settle in Kenya.

The World Health Organization says that as part of this year’s World Refugee Day, universal access to quality healthcare should be achieved. But in Gaza, after eight months of war, most hospitals have been destroyed and the few hospitals still operating warn they will be out of service if they do not receive the fuel they urgently need.

Israel’s closure of the Rafah border crossing has deprived Gazans of food, fuel and aid, while preventing the sick and injured in dire need of medical assistance from receiving treatment abroad.

The UN has repeatedly warned of the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, marked by food shortages and the threat of famine.

Hearts in Gaza

Most Palestinians in Gaza have been unable to leave the enclave since the start of the war, with Israel controlling all border crossings, including Rafah. In May, Israel seized the Rafah crossing, giving it full control of all entry and exit points from Gaza.

Only dual nationals and certain wounded people who were evacuated or who paid exorbitant sums have managed to leave Gaza since October. It was via Rafah, before the Israelis took control.

The majority want to return home once the war is over. Ms. Ismael is struggling in Kenya, where she says she cannot afford the cost of living for herself and her three children. She would like to return to Egypt, closer to Gaza, but fears not being granted residency in this country which has until now been reluctant to allow Palestinians to take in.

Leena Samour fled to Istanbul, Turkey, with her four children to save them from war and deteriorating living conditions.

“We have been out of Gaza for six months and we still don’t feel stable because we constantly think about returning to Gaza,” she said. The National.

“Life here is not easy and expensive.”

She clings to the hope that her house is still standing and that she will one day be able to return.

Constantly moving

“Leaving Gaza is not an option for me,” said Munzer Khader, a 50-year-old resident of Gaza City. He is one of those who has no desire to leave his home despite the constant fear of death.

A father of three, Mr Khader said he was trying to get his three sons to leave in order to continue their education. “The future is still ahead of them,” he said. But for him, moving to a country that might not accept him is not an option. “At least here in Gaza we accept our fate and our destiny,” he added.

The feeling of being unwelcome and unwanted is shared by most Palestinians, who for decades have been dispersed in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip or in other countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, s clinging to the hope of one day returning to their homeland. .

“As Palestinians, we never feel stable. We feel like no one wants us and that we are a big problem for the world,” Ms. Samour said.

Gaza’s densely populated refugee camps, including Nuseirat and Jabalia, have been targeted by repeated Israeli bombings, killing dozens of people at a time.

“The camp is our life and our soul. I always say that we don’t just live in the camp; the camp lives in us,” said Mounis Al Khatib, who lost his home in Jabalia camp last month.

“Everything we grew up with and everything we cherish has become ashes. But I, like all those whose homes were destroyed, did not leave the camp.

But Mohammed Washah, 28, who has lived in Jabalia all his life, would jump at the first opportunity to leave. “In Gaza there is no respect for human rights and devastation is everywhere,” he said.

“I love this place deeply, but after everything we’ve been through, I want to look for a new life elsewhere.”

Last month, Israeli forces carried out a 20-day military operation in Jabalia that destroyed around 70 percent of the camp and surrounding areas, where more than 100,000 Palestinians live.

Since last month, Rafah has been attacked from multiple directions, with strikes and shelling reported in the eastern and central parts of the city while warships fired on its coastline.

About 800,000 people have fled the southern city since Israel issued evacuation orders.

The offensive on the city, which was the last refuge for more than a million people forced to flee their homes at the start of the war, has drawn widespread international condemnation. The United Nations and rights groups have repeatedly called on Israel to end its military incursion into Rafah over fears of a growing number of civilian deaths.

Palestinians fleeing Rafah either returned to destroyed buildings in central Gaza or fled to Al Mawasi, which has been hit repeatedly despite its designation by the Israeli military as a humanitarian safe zone.

Updated: June 20, 2024, 12:30 p.m.