Many foreigners or Palestinians with dual passports were able to leave the Gaza Strip. But their relatives or friends often stay behind in the war zone. A stressful situation.
They carry suitcases and strollers, their few belongings in paper bags and plastic bags – relieved that they made it: evacuees with dual nationals from Gaza who were allowed to enter Egypt via the Rafah border crossing in the past few days. Escaped the war – finally.
“Yes, it’s true, we’re out of the war, but our hearts are still in Gaza,” the American Hurra tells the Reuters news agency. “My whole family is still in Gaza. I just hope that they are healthy and that the war stops.”
“I thought it was thundering”
The young mother still cannot believe that she is finally safe – after the nightmare of the past few weeks.
“My son was playing on the doorstep of our house in Gaza when I heard the first bombs. At first I didn’t know what it was and thought it was thunder – but then friends called me and warned me that a war was starting. Since then That day it was as if a black curtain had fallen on us. Our house was completely destroyed, a rocket hit the street right in front of it, where my children always played. If we had still been there, I would never have my son “We found it again. Luckily we had already gone to Rafah and waited there.” After waiting for days, they were lucky: their names were on the first exit lists.
Via Cairo to the home countries
Only a few hundred foreigners have been able to leave Gaza so far, have been taken by bus to the Egyptian capital Cairo and from there travel on to their home countries. People have experienced terrible things, just like Youssef. The old man with a US passport sits in a wheelchair.
“We saw the house next door being hit by rockets. Then our house caught fire – all our things were destroyed. We barely got out with only what we were carrying. We couldn’t save any of our things. ”
Border crossing apparently closed again
The Rafah border crossing is now said to have been closed again, media reports. Due to the Israeli bombing of an ambulance convoy at the weekend, the agreement between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, mediated by Qatar, on the short-term opening of the border appears to have been destroyed for the time being.
Thousands of foreigners and dual nationals are still stuck in the Gaza Strip, including many Germans. They are increasingly desperate.
Also Germans in the Gaza Strip
Like Ahmed, who has lived in Münster, Westphalia, for more than 30 years. He actually just wanted to visit his grandma in the Gaza Strip with his son during the fall break – and now the two of them can’t get out. For days he only heard from the Foreign Office “that I have to be patient and that there is no further information.”
Then recently I received a text message saying they could get out – and shortly afterwards another rejection. Ahmed calls it a war of nerves. As he goes looking for bread, a bomb hits nearby. “I always hear the bombings, I feel them. And those screams, it’s unbelievable.”
Blinken calls for a ceasefire
Despite crisis diplomacy, there is no relaxation in the war in sight: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with representatives of various Arab states at the weekend after his visit to Israel and called on Israel to adopt a humanitarian ceasefire.
Israel must take every possible measure to avoid civilian casualties, said the top US diplomat. “Protecting civilians will help prevent Hamas from further exploiting the situation. But above all, it is morally right to protect civilians.”
Separate families
But so far, civilians in Gaza have received little protection. The evacuees who were allowed out found it difficult to leave their families behind. Like 11-year-old Farah from the USA. She had to leave her father behind in Gaza – and doesn’t know if she’ll ever see him again: “He kissed my forehead and said: ‘Get to safety.’ And then he told me that he loved me – and that I should always remember that.”