By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Omar al-Hassayna escaped Gaza for Cairo after an Israeli airstrike devastated much of his large family. Three years later, he remains there, awaiting sufficient stability, security, and reconstruction in his still-devastated homeland to make a return possible.
Hassayna is one of more than 100,000 Gazans who departed the enclave during the war ignited by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and who remain stranded overseas, according to Palestinian Authority figures. They continue to mourn lost relatives as well as their destroyed homes and neighborhoods.
“I left Gaza and came to Egypt, the land of Kinana (referring to Egypt), but at the same time, this will not be forgotten, my dear brother, it will not be forgotten,” he said.
“I am waiting for the opportunity, I am waiting for the moment when Gaza becomes stable so I can return to my country, and be a productive member of this country, and be a positive force for the country.”
Nearly a year after a ceasefire in Gaza, intended to initiate reconstruction under a technocratic government alongside a political process leading to a full Israeli withdrawal, little has changed.
Israeli forces still control more than 60% of the territory and conduct near-daily airstrikes, while Hamas governs the areas where most Palestinians reside, largely in temporary shelters with what aid agencies describe as inadequate supply levels and no immediate outlook for reconstruction.
Some 308 members of Hassayna’s extended family were killed when Israeli strikes destroyed a cluster of Gaza City apartment buildings where they had gathered for shelter on November 22, 2023, according to Palestinian authorities.
The deceased included his wife, four of their adult sons, and four young grandchildren, one of whom was an infant only a few months old.
Hassayna’s eldest son, Mohammed, is also in Cairo with his own four children, as is the widow of one of his deceased sons with her daughter. He has brothers residing in the Egyptian capital as well.
One daughter was medically evacuated to Turkey with her husband and six children, while another daughter remains in Gaza with her five children, although her husband was killed in the attack.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the details of the November 22 strike. It maintains its attacks in Gaza are targeted at military objectives while striving to minimize harm to civilians.
RETURN PROGRESS REMAINS LIMITED
In August, Hassayna watched on video from Cairo as relatives buried 112 family members, including his wife, sons, and grandchildren, whose remains were recovered from the rubble, with dozens still unaccounted for.
Hassayna owned a business selling firefighting tools and safety equipment in Gaza, and some of his inventory survived the war. He periodically sells goods to fund his stay in Cairo, where he has remarried.
All those who left Gaza underwent vetting by both Israel and Egypt prior to departure, yet many have found it difficult to return to the territory.
Although some Israeli politicians have called for a policy encouraging all of Gaza’s population to leave and preventing returnees from coming back, approximately 7,000 have gone home. Hassayna believes Egypt will halt any widespread displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
However, a broad return of those who fled may be unlikely until the territory’s future prospects become clearer.
“If Gaza returns. If there is an international agreement (with) a comprehensive situation for the Palestinian people and construction begins, why would I delay?” he said.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Angus McDowall and Timothy Heritage)
