Gazans who escaped Israel war for UAE see no hope of return

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Almost a year has passed since the events of October 7, 2023, and for many families displaced from Gaza, the situation has only deteriorated.

Despite a feeling of immense gratitude for the love, support and shelter provided, this is the case for Palestinians taking refuge in Abu Dhabi's Emirates Humanitarian City.

Gaza's borders are sealed. There is no way in or out of the besieged enclave, leaving residents in a state of constant fear and uncertainty. Families separated by the conflict are scattered across different countries, their lives upended and futures uncertain.

More than 41,000 people have been killed and thousands remain trapped in Gaza, living in makeshift shelters and tents, struggling for water as winter approaches, with the flow of food, medicine and fuel supplies severely restricted.

For those who have found refuge in the UAE, the daily reports of more death and destruction back home not only haunt them, but instil a sense that returning is no longer an option, that the time has come to rebuild their lives away from Gaza.

Lives altered

Lama Mady has called Emirates Humanitarian City home for more than nine months. Victor Besa / The National

Sabreen Mady and her daughter Lama arrived in the UAE on December 19, with Lama requiring urgent surgery on her hip. She spent three months in a wheelchair and has only recently started walking again but, for Sabreen, her daughter's recovery is just a small solace amid the chaos her family continues to endure.

“Our entire lives have changed. We are in three countries, not one. Twenty-five of our family members died, and those remaining are injured. Some are in Egypt, and others in Italy,” she told The National. “It has gone from bad to worse. Every day there are more deaths, more missiles. Life in Gaza isn’t guaranteed. The borders are closed. There is no way for me to go back. There is no plane to take me.”

Jamal Al Najar, 58, recalled how October 7 shattered his family's dreams as his son, Amjad, was planning to get married in July 2024. Amjad, 21, was seriously injured by shrapnel that became lodged in his left ureter and damaged his spine.

“Our lives are now very sad, very difficult, but without the UAE, its people, and their kindness, and President Sheikh Mohamed, my son wouldn’t be walking on his legs today or even alive. We thank God we are here,” Mr Al Najar said.

Reflecting on a possible return to Gaza, he continued: “There is no hope. Where is the hope? Where will we go? Even if we want to go back, what will we go back to? My kids in Gaza are in a tent. I was in a respectable, clean house, now I’ll go back to a tent. There aren't even toilets there. There are no landmarks. If I go now, I won’t be able to recognise it.”

About 2,000 patients are being housed at EHC as part of the UAE's humanitarian operations in solidarity with Palestinians. About 150 medical appointments are carried out each day, with a team of more than 50 doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators on site. A school serving more than 400 children has also been established.

Ibtesam Abu Nada, 49, a pharmacist, came with one of her daughters to the UAE for breast cancer treatment on March 26. She described the painful separation from her relatives who are now scattered and isolated.

The mother of four daughters said: “The situation is very hard. We are dispersed. Do you know what it’s like for a family to be in more than one country? My husband remained in the north. He’s an engineer working at the Ministry of Health, so when we were displaced, he refused to move and stayed in Sheikh Radwan.

“We moved and went to Deir Al Balah. After Deir Al Balah, we went to Khan Younis, and from there to Rafah. Two of my daughters remained in Khan Younis. One went to Egypt so her sisters could follow her later, but then the border closed, so one daughter remained alone in Egypt.

“Their father is in the north, and two are in Khan Younis. We follow the news daily, and there is no step forward. When we feel there is some hope, we go backwards.”

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Grateful but still praying

Alaa Al Nawajha, 30, is living in EHC with her daughter Jana, who has a weak immune system and requires a bone marrow transplant. Jana’s father, her donor, remains stuck in Gaza.

“I’m very tired. Neither my daughter nor I are able to cope with the new situation. Being separated from our family in Gaza is very hard,” Ms Al Nawajha said. “They are all our family. We feel like there is hope, and then suddenly that hope dies. The UAE took us in, and we are grateful, but we are now living in the unknown.

“We are praying to God that the situation will improve but, as human beings, we aren’t able to endure it for much longer,” she added. “Our hearts have gone weak. I can’t listen to the news of more deaths, every day more deaths and destruction. It is so hard. God willing, things will improve.”

For Jaser Abu Mousa, 45, the conflict was less of a surprise. The father of four was a political analyst who worked for the Swiss embassy in the enclave, and recalls drafting reports in the months preceding the attack that suggested “something was coming”.

Family and friends were at his Gaza home on October 15 when it was hit by two Israeli missiles. Two of his sons, his wife and other family members were killed. “I was very scared, and every night I thought it would be our last,” he said. “The first body I saw was my wife’s. There were body parts all over.

“The situation gets worse every day. My mother and sister are still in Gaza,” said Mr Abu Mousa, who arrived in the UAE on December 8.

“This is the reason I don’t sleep at night. I was in Switzerland once and was asked what I thought of the situation in Gaza. I answered that Hamas found legitimacy for its existence by calling themselves the resistance to Israel, and Israel found legitimacy to suffocate Gaza and kill its people by calling themselves defenders fighting terrorism.

“There is an unholy marriage between the two, and the victim is Gaza. It has been a year now, and I don’t see any light, at least not in the next two months.”

The Israel-Gaza war – one year on

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

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