'Every day, we face a different kind of death': Post–October 7, Gazan refugees abroad struggle with uncertainty, poverty, and the fear of deportation

When Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families found themselves forced to flee their homes in a desperate race against death.

Triggering mass forced displacement, Israel’s relentless bombardment and siege of the Strip forced many Gazans to flee. Those who could afford costly broker fees — paid through savings or crowdfunding — managed to cross the Rafah border into Egypt, only to find themselves and their families scattered across neighbouring countries and beyond.

Today, Gazan refugees are living under challenging social and psychological conditions. They are expatriates in unfamiliar countries with limited job opportunities, far away from their families, and burdened by the human and material losses inflicted by the ongoing war.

An estimated 150,000 Palestinians have left Gaza since October 2023, leaving behind homes reduced to rubble, beloved family members and friends, and the screeching sound of Israeli bombs.

Of those, 100,000 are now in Egypt, living in temporary shelters, shared accommodations, or overcrowded flats that lack even the most basic necessities. These refugees find themselves in a state of social limbo, with few legal rights and no clear path forward.

In Egypt, a country many hoped would be a safe place, they now stand in long queues trying to get residency papers. Without these papers, they can’t get regular jobs, which makes it hard to avoid falling into homelessness and debt.

Among them is Suzanne Eid, a mother of four, who speaks of the immense challenges she faces daily.

Without a residency permit, Suzanne cannot open a bank account or enrol her children in school. She tells The New Arab that she paid a large sum of money to evacuate herself and her children from Gaza, but now finds herself moving from one flat to another due to the high cost of rent.

“My children and I may have escaped death, but every day we face a different kind of death,” she says. “It’s death from helplessness, as I search for a job to keep a roof over our heads. I’m a mother exhausted by war and financial expenses.”

While the Palestinian Embassy and several charities in Egypt are doing their best to support Palestinian refugees, the needs of over 100,000 people are overwhelming. Grassroots initiatives such as Abwab Al Khair and Road To Freedom have stepped in, working tirelessly on the ground to provide free meals, clothing, and assistance with rent.

Difficult conversations

In the West Bank, Abbas, one of 6,000 labourers from Gaza who sought refuge there since the war began, shares his story of separation and longing.

Before the war, Abbas worked at an iron factory. Now, his family is scattered across various camps, and constant interruptions in telecommunications mean he struggles to stay in contact with his wife and children. He says he tries to call his wife every morning to check if they are still alive, but the calls do not always go through.

“My wife told me our children have written their names on their bodies so that if they are killed, they can be identified and someone can inform me,” he says. “The sight of my wife’s tears when she speaks to me via video call never leaves me.”

Currently living in a temporary camp in Nablus without electricity or clean water, Abbas receives psychological support from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). He says going back to Gaza is now a distant dream, given border closures and the high risk of arrest if he attempts to cross them.

The suffering of Gaza’s refugees goes beyond the loss of loved ones. They now face social and economic vulnerability, unable to find stable employment to support their families.

Without access to education or safe spaces to play, children continue to suffer, both emotionally and psychologically. Those with chronic illnesses are unable to monitor their conditions, as they lack access to public healthcare and often cannot afford private medical treatment.

In France, Mariam, her husband Sami, and their children arrived in the suburbs of Paris in November 2023. They had left behind the ruins of their destroyed home and the memories buried within it. With the help of a humanitarian organisation, they found a small apartment, but quickly discovered that Paris is not an easy city to live in — especially for refugees.

Language barriers have further complicated their efforts to integrate into French society.

“I found that I cannot allow my children to play outside freely, as they did in Gaza,” says Mariam. “They are struggling to learn French, and I can see the longing for Gaza in their eyes.”

Between long hours of French lessons and Sami — who lost a limb in the war — searching for a suitable job, Mariam says she is at breaking point.

Holding on to hope

Elsewhere, in Turkey, Huda and her three children made a long and difficult journey from the Rafah border through Egypt to Istanbul. By November 2023, they had been sleeping on the cold floor of a waiting room for 17 days.

Huda says that while they may be safe from bombs and immediate threats to their lives, they do not feel stable or secure.

“When we first got to Turkey, we relied on food that was donated to us,” Huda says. “We have no source of income; my children don’t have an education; we have no access to medical treatment, and there is no guarantee that we won’t be deported.”

She continues, “My daughter has PTSD, and whenever there is a loud noise, she runs away and hides. My children ask me, ‘When will we go back to our toys?’”

Gazan refugees like Huda, Suzanne, Mariam, and Abbas find themselves unable to move forward with their lives. They have undergone difficult journeys — fleeing under bombardment, paying exorbitant fees to cross borders, and relying on smuggling routes — only to arrive in distant countries where any hope of rebuilding a normal life has quickly diminished.

Some people still hope they can go back to Gaza when the war is over. But even this hope is uncertain. No one knows if they will be allowed to return, or if Gaza will still be a place they can live in. If they are given the chance, many say they would go back right away.

For Gaza’s refugees, displacement is not limited to place, but extends to the soul, as their dreams and dignity continue to be crushed.

Haya Ahmed is a doctor and freelance writer from Gaza