They Left with Their Hearts in the Strip.. Families from Gaza Await Return

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Leaving Gaza was not the end of the tragedy for those who found refuge in Cairo from the war or an opportunity for treatment. Behind the borders, families continue to face bombardment and displacement, homes have turned to rubble, and relatives whose bodies have not yet been recovered.

Between escaping danger and waiting to return, Palestinians live with the hope of reclaiming what can be salvaged from their lives. The stories of Omar Al-Husayna, Abu Muhammad from the Al-Mashharawi family, and Abu Tamer from the Mushtaha family converge around this hope.

Their circumstances and the extent of their losses may differ, but they look forward to returning, despite their awareness of the harsh reality that awaits them in the sector. According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, more than 100,000 Palestinians who left Gaza during the war remain outside the sector.

It is worth noting that the reasons for leaving varied between seeking safety, needing treatment, and continuing education, while for many, the return remains linked to the availability of passage and the conditions that allow them to resume their lives, according to Reuters.

Omar Al-Husayna arrived in Cairo after losing his wife, four of his adult children, and four of his grandchildren, including an infant who was only a few months old.

According to Palestinian authorities, about 308 members of his extended family were killed in Israeli airstrikes that destroyed residential buildings in Gaza City, where they had gathered seeking safety, on November 22, 2023.

In August, Al-Husayna followed from Cairo, via a video clip, the funeral proceedings of 112 of his relatives after their bodies were retrieved from the rubble, while dozens remained missing. The survivors are scattered between Egypt, Turkey, and Gaza, where one of his daughters stayed with her five children after losing her husband.

Meanwhile, Al-Husayna resorted to selling some goods that survived from his business to cover his living expenses in Egypt, waiting for stability and the start of reconstruction so he can return and resume his work.

As for Abu Muhammad Al-Mashharawi, waiting to return has gone beyond just going back home. He was in Egypt for treatment before the outbreak of the war, and then he managed to bring two of his children to continue their studies, while his wife and the rest of his family remained in Gaza, as they refused to leave despite some of them being injured.

He said that the Al-Mashharawi family lost 55 members, and that his wife is among the injured. With his house destroyed and his work disrupted, his decision to return remains firm; he wants to join his wife, children, and father, and share with them what remains of life's burdens. He described the situation inside the Gaza Strip as a compounded suffering: destroyed infrastructure, rubble surrounded by fears of pollution, the spread of rodents and diseases, and bombardment that makes living in tents and overcrowded areas of displaced people far from safe.

As for Abu Tamer, who is from the Mushtaha family, he recounted that a wave of bombardment he describes as a "fire belt" targeted an entire neighborhood, claiming, according to his testimony, the lives of about 250 members of his family and in-laws in one strike. He said he has been waiting for about a year and a half to bring his wife and sick mother out, while he is receiving treatment in Egypt. He describes how his family transitioned from a luxurious life to living in a tent struggling with the harshness of life, after losing their possessions and means of livelihood.

While he appreciates Egypt's hospitality, family reunification remains his most pressing demand, whether by allowing his relatives to exit for treatment or enabling him to return to them.

Abu Mohammed rejected the notion that the crossing of a limited number of patients is evidence of a return to normal movement through the crossing. He points to a relative from his family who has been waiting to travel for treatment for eight months, while he registered to return about a year and two months ago, without a confirmed date.

These testimonies come as about seven thousand Palestinians have returned to Gaza, according to "Reuters", while the broader return remains linked to facilitating crossings and clarifying the future of the Strip.

After nearly a year of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces still control more than 60 percent of Gaza's territory and conduct near-daily airstrikes, while Hamas controls most of the areas where Palestinians reside.

Many people are living in temporary shelters, with supplies described by relief agencies as insufficient, and with no near prospect for reconstruction.

Amid this reality, the three men are waiting for a way to return; one to resume a life from which he has lost most of his family, and the other two to join families whose suffering has not ended.