Many have paid vast sums in bribes to flee the besieged Palestinian territory but their legal status in Egypt means they have few means of supporting themselves
Displaced Palestinians walk next to the border fence between Gaza and Egypt, on February 16, 2024 in Rafah
Hala Alsafadi reports in Middle East Eye 4 May 2024
For the past seven months, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians in Gaza have been trapped in the besieged territory, trying to avoid the wrath of the Israeli military.
More than 34,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed by the Israeli military since October.
Besides bullets and bombs, the people of Gaza are also suffering from the effects of Israel’s siege on the territory, which has severely reduced the flow of food, medicine and other essentials.
Those who can afford to – and can live with the prospect of never being able to return to their homes – have passed through the Egyptian border and are now seeking refuge there.
While no exact number is available, thousands of Palestinians have fled to Egypt since the war started.
Many were able to move to other countries but those without visas to travel onward have remained in Egypt.
The majority of Palestinians from Gaza in Egypt made their way there for medical treatment, while others are students, dual Palestinian-Egyptian nationals, and residents who could afford the thousands of dollars in bribes to make their exit from the besieged strip.
But reaching the safety of the neighbouring Arab state is no guarantee that their struggles are over.
For many Palestinians, it is the start of a new kind of hardship, with their conditions worsening due to the absence of help from both the Egyptian state and international organisations.
Middle East Eye has spoken to a number of Palestinians in Egypt, who have requested that pseudonyms be used, as revealing their identities could imperil their continued presence in the country.
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