WHY ARE PALESTINIANS FLEEING THE GAZA STRIP?

  Bassam Tawil September 20, 2023 280 views

Thousands of Palestinians are continuing to leave the Gaza Strip in search of a better life in other countries, including Canada and the European Union.

In the past few weeks, several videos of Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt have surfaced on social media. Other Palestinians have been documented queuing outside the Gaza offices that issue visas for Turkey to obtain a visa to emigrate. These Palestinians are leaving because they can no longer tolerate life under the Islamist movement of Hamas. They are not fleeing because of Israel.

“We want to live in dignity,” said a young Palestinian man in one of the videos. “All those who are seeking to emigrate want a dignified life. The young men are risking their lives, they are prepared to die.”

Another young man said: “I know I’m risking my life, but I want to leave, dead or alive. At least I will find a dignified life abroad. People want to leave because of the oppression and injustice we see here [in the Gaza Strip].”

Palestinian economic expert Mohammed Abu Jayyab confirmed that youth emigration from the Gaza Strip has seen an unprecedented increase over the past decade. He revealed that a large number of young people have already left the Gaza Strip, while many others are still trying to leave despite the risks involved and the lack of clarity about their future in the hosting countries. “High unemployment rates and scarcity of job opportunities are among the reasons behind the increase in emigration.”

Palestinian political analyst Mahmoud al-Raqab writes: “For more than 17 years, the residents of the Gaza Strip have been suffering from psychological, social, economic, and political problems resulting from internal division, humanitarian crises, and repeated wars. This has led the residents of the Gaza Strip to think about emigrating.”

According to some reports, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have fled the Gaza Strip since 2018. Al-Raqab writes:

“Despite their exposure to the risks of drowning, loss, and death, Palestinians fleeing the Gaza Strip see that Turkey and Europe are their hope and future. The Palestinian leadership must work hard to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation, end the state of division [between the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip], and provide job opportunities. If these demands are met, the Palestinians who left the Gaza Strip will return home, and the idea of emigration will disappear from their minds. If it is not achieved, we will be facing a major exodus of young and educated minds, as well as an exodus of experienced people who have lost confidence in the [Palestinian] political leadership.”

The Palestinian political leadership, however, does not appear overly worried about the large number of Palestinians fleeing Gaza. Abbas is busy spouting antisemitic tropes against Jews, delegitimizing Israel and demonizing Jews. In a speech on Aug. 24 before the Revolutionary Council of his ruling Fatah faction,

Hamas leaders, for their part, continue to pretend that everything is fine in Gaza. They are also continuing to incite Palestinians to carry out terror attacks against Israel. Notably, the Hamas leaders are making these statements from their five-star hotels and villas in Qatar and Lebanon.

By ignoring the plight of the Palestinians fleeing the brutal regime of the Islamists in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations and foreign media are doing a great disservice to the same Palestinians they claim to care about.

As Palestinian leaders continue to suppress the people of Gaza, Israel has increased the number of work permits for Gazans. In July, at least 67,769 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were allowed to cross the Israeli-controlled Erez border crossing—up to 90% of them for jobs that pay well in Israel. Six percent of the exits were for patients needing medical treatment in Israel or the West Bank.

It seems that Israel is doing more to help the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip than the P.A., Hamas or any Arab country. However, because this news does not fit the anti-Israel agenda of many newspapers and foreign journalists, it is highly unlikely to make it into the mainstream media in the West.