Life in Exile for Palestinians from Gaza

In Gaza, families once owned olive trees, flower gardens, factories, stores, and homes they had cherished for generations. Their memories were intertwined with family photos, knickknacks, and embroidered shawls. They enjoyed the luxury of driving cars, attending classes, and having the beach just minutes away. However, their lives took a drastic turn when they had to flee to the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

Now in Cairo, tens of thousands of Palestinians find themselves in rented apartments overlooking concrete landscapes. They face limited job opportunities, dwindling savings, and no schools for their children. Despite being in a safe environment, they struggle to see this new setting as a promising future. With no legal status in Egypt and uncertain prospects of returning to a normalized life in Gaza, they feel trapped.

Physically present in Egypt but emotionally clinging to the memory of a Gaza that no longer exists, these Palestinians are in limbo. “We have this feeling that this is just a temporary period in our lives,” expressed Nahla al-Bashti, aged 60, who arrived in Egypt with her family in December. In an attempt to generate income, she started selling Palestinian foods from her small rented kitchen, yearning for the fruit trees in her former yard.

“We want our real lives back,” she lamented. “I feel suffocated.” The sight of her destroyed house in Gaza only amplifies the longing for home.