Despite the proposed plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza being met by international outrage, a number of Palestinians told BBC Arabic last week that they wanted to leave the enclave.
“I can’t stand it anymore, especially now that the war is back. Our lives are threatened every day. I want to leave Gaza,” Alaa told the BBC.
Ola, a Palestinian woman living in Jabalya, told the news site that most Gazans wanted to leave the Gaza Strip, citing “the lack of a decent life. There are no suitable places to live, no good food, no job opportunities. Everything is missing, even the most basic necessities of life.”
Those who are willing and wanting to stay in Gaza, Ola said, often had good work “but they will leave as soon as they find a better opportunity.”
She acknowledged that some people would want to stay and invest in Gaza’s future, but that the younger generation was increasingly looking to escape for better prospects abroad.
The “youth’s chances of leaving Gaza may be through scholarships, but job opportunities are difficult, and some may turn to illegal immigration if they can,” she said, adding that the elderly wer
“Looking at the elderly in Gaza is heartbreaking. Their chances of leaving the Strip are slim, except for the sick and injured, who are hosted by some countries for treatment. The rest don’t have money, food, or even a tent,” she stressed. “They just search for a safe place every day and try to meet some of their needs. So if they have a good opportunity, they will leave too,”e most likely to be trapped in unsafe situations within the Gaza Strip.”
Asked to name where she thought would be a good location for Palestinians to restart, she said that many looked toward Indonesia or surrounding Arab states but added that young people hoped for a future in Europe.
Another Palestinian, a man anonymized under the name “Mahdi,” was able to leave his home in Rafah with his daughter for medical treatment in Egypt. “I don’t intend to return to Gaza unless I am forced to do so,” he confirmed to the BBC.
“They say we fled Gaza, but the truth is different,” says Mahdi explained. “We didn’t flee, and we didn’t choose to live in suffering. Do you want us to die under the rubble and become nothing but remains? Do you like seeing us dead and torn apart? No, that’s not our goal.”
He added, “We’re not traitors if we want to leave. Every one of us has the capacity to endure, and many of us can’t bear it anymore.”
A third Palestinian, Ahmed, told the BBC that he yearned to move to a country “that will embrace me and my brother so we can work and live with dignity.”
“I know people will misunderstand our exit from Gaza,” he repeated multiple times during the interview with the BBC. “I and many people I know want to leave Gaza, but without conditions being imposed on us about how we leave or return, or even not returning to Gaza, as is being rumored. Ultimately, this is our country, and we want to enter and leave it of our own free will.”
While many Palestinians may desire to leave, some recounted how their legal efforts to emigrate had been thwarted by neigboring states.
Hadeel recounted from her new home in Jordan that her husband, who has Jordanian citizenship, was returned by Egypt to Gaza. She is now living with her daughters and waiting for the family to be reunited.
How many Palestinians want to leave?
“There are many people in Gaza who wish to travel to European countries like Belgium, Germany, and Greece, but the blockade, closure, and exorbitant costs of travel are what prevent them,” Hadeel explained. “On the other hand, there are also those who remain committed to Gaza and remain there despite the difficult conditions.”
While BBC Arabic also reported statements from three individuals asserting they wanted to stay in Gaza, a Gallup International survey published in March indicated that the vast majority wanted to leave.
Conducted from March 2-13, the poll found that 38% of respondents would opt for temporary relocation, 14% would move permanently, and 4% would send family members abroad.
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