He Wants to Flee Gaza, She Returned: Two Palestinians Describe Life Amidst 'Vermin and Rats'

Hanan al-Skik, a 60-year-old Palestinian woman, has returned to Gaza after spending two years in Cairo, Egypt, where she sought treatment for cancer. Her departure from Gaza at the onset of the war was a difficult decision, but her heart remained tethered to her homeland.

"The scent of my land is missing, my sons and grandsons are missing. Without them, my heart devours me from the inside," she had expressed, her voice strong despite tear-filled eyes. Her bags were packed, but her return was contingent on navigating the stringent Israeli border policies that limited passage to Gaza to just 50 individuals per day, a process that saw over 20,000 Palestinians registered.

The opportunity finally came on the first day of Ramadan, February 19th. "In the morning, I asked God, then I received the response from the embassy. I stayed in Egypt for two years, but it felt like a hundred years had passed," Hanan recounted over the phone. The journey, facilitated by Egyptian authorities, involved a bus ride and passage through numerous Egyptian and Israeli checkpoints.

She could only bring one suitcase, which she had to empty along the way. By the time she reached the border, only a few clothes and packs of cigarettes remained – tobacco having become a rare and expensive commodity in Gaza. The emotional reunion with her children and grandchildren, who were waiting for her, brought her to tears as she saw them through the bus window upon her arrival in the devastated enclave.

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Le parfum de ma terre me manque, mes fils et mes petits-fils me manquent. Sans eux, mon cœur me dévore de l’intérieur.