Gaza Displaced Abroad Await Return Amid Loss and Uncertainty

Omar Al-Hassaineh, like many Gazans, was forced to leave his home for Cairo, Egypt, after an Israeli airstrike killed most of his family. Three years later, he remains in Cairo, awaiting conditions of security, stability, and reconstruction in the war-torn Gaza Strip before he can return. Palestinian data indicates Al-Hassaineh, 65, is among over 100,000 Palestinians who fled Gaza during the "genocidal war" and are still unable to return. These displaced individuals face not only the bitterness of exile and prolonged waiting but also the grief of losing relatives in the conflict and longing for their destroyed homes and neighborhoods. "I left Gaza and came to Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, but this will not be forgotten, my dear brother," Al-Hassaineh stated, expressing his anticipation for return: "I am waiting for the opportunity, for the moment Gaza stabilizes, to go to my country, be productive, and be a positive force for it."

Nearly a year after a ceasefire agreement intended to pave the way for reconstruction under a technocratic government and a political process leading to full Israeli withdrawal, little has changed on the ground in Gaza. Israeli forces still control over 60% of Gaza, conducting near-daily strikes. Most of the Palestinian areas suffer from massive infrastructure damage, a severe lack of basic necessities, and widespread reliance on temporary shelters and insufficient aid. Reconstruction shows no signs of starting soon.

Palestinian authorities reported that approximately 308 members of Al-Hassaineh's family were killed in Israeli attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City on November 22, 2023. Among the casualties were his wife, four children, and four grandchildren, including an infant. His eldest son, Mohammed, lives in Cairo with his four children, as does one of his daughters-in-law with her daughter. Other siblings also reside in the Egyptian capital. One daughter was moved to Turkey for medical treatment with her husband and six children, while another daughter remained in Gaza with her five children, despite her husband's death in the same attack.

Al-Hassaineh witnessed a video of 112 family members, including his wife and children, being buried after their bodies were recovered from rubble. Dozens more remain unrecovered. Previously a business owner selling fire-fighting and safety equipment in Gaza, Al-Hassaineh occasionally sells some of his remaining stock to fund his life in Cairo, where he has remarried. While all those who left Gaza underwent security checks by both Israel and Egypt, many find returning difficult. Despite calls from some Israeli politicians to encourage departures and prevent returns, around 7,000 individuals have returned. Al-Hassaineh believes Egypt will prevent any large-scale displacement from Gaza. However, a mass return of displaced persons is unlikely in the near future until the sector's future becomes clearer. "If Gaza is rebuilt, there is an international agreement, a comprehensive situation for the Palestinian people, and reconstruction begins, why would I delay? I will not delay, I will build and return to build. We will not despair," he stated.