Sa'adiya Saftawi, 48, at her home in Gaza City on November 11,2018. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National
Sa'adiya Saftawi, 48, at her home in Gaza City on November 11,2018. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National
Sa'adiya Saftawi, 48, at her home in Gaza City on November 11,2018. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National
Sa'adiya Saftawi, 48, at her home in Gaza City on November 11,2018. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National

Gaza families mourn loss of a generation as youth clamour to leave enclave


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“What am I going to miss about Gaza?” asks eighteen-year-old Majd Safi, who, like most everyone of his generation in Gaza, is set on getting out.

“My friends,” he answers. “My family. I’m not going to miss the whole city. I hate Gaza actually.”

Ahmed Safi, 30, who like his brother is also planning to start a life, finally,  abroad, interjects.

“You should not hate Gaza,” he says. “You will love Gaza when you leave Gaza."

“I hope so,” the younger brother concedes.

Conversations like this are happening in homes across Gaza: After eleven years of Hamas’ repressive rule, the painful Palestinian split, and Israel’s deadly campaign of wars and siege, Gaza’s youth say they want none of this. They have no jobs, no money, and no vision for a future here, on top of the traumas of war and life under a corrupt and repressive government.

“The difference between him and me is that he’s younger than me,” Ahmed tells The National. “And his mind is not full of memories in Gaza. So it’s easier for him to leave and live his life and future. But when you are talking with someone who’s 30 years old, he’s full of memories of his world, friends, families... so it’s going to be more difficult for me. I know I will miss every street. I will miss every face in Gaza.”

After a pause, Majd adds, “I will miss my mother so much.”

Aziza Safi, 58, during her evening prayer time in the bedroom of her youngest son Majd in Al Bureij in Gaza. Two of her sons are already out of Gaza and every morning she waits to know when the permits are ready for Ahmed and Majd who are planning to leave. Photo by Heidi Levine For The National.
Aziza Safi, 58, during her evening prayer time in the bedroom of her youngest son Majd in Al Bureij in Gaza. Two of her sons are already out of Gaza and every morning she waits to know when the permits are ready for Ahmed and Majd who are planning to leave. Photo by Heidi Levine For The National.

Their mother, Aziza Safi, 58, sits alternating between stoicism and tears in the salon of their family home in Al Bureij. Aziza’s husband died when Majd, the youngest, was just two years old, so she has raised all eight of her children largely on her own. The family is Fatah-aligned, but Majd is not affiliated with any political party. The two oldest sons are already out: one living and working in Germany, the other in London. The whole family has not been together since they reunited in Tunisia for one glorious month in 2012.

Now, Majd and Ahmed awake each morning wondering if today is the day their student visas to Tunisia will come through. Just the thought brings Aziza back to tears. She and Majd still sleep together in the same room. Ahmed never leaves the house each morning without saying goodbye to her.

“If Majd travels, he won’t come back again to Gaza,” says Aziza. “If Ahmed travels, he won’t come back again to Gaza. Because Gaza” – she dusts off her hands to signify loss – ”is a cemetery”.

The boys look down at the thought of causing their mother pain. Except they do not see any other way. And, if and when their visas are approved, she will let them go.

“I want a better life, a better future,” says Ahmed, who has a Bachelor’s degree and is now a freelance anything from graphic designer to handyman. But his desire to leave is not motivated by financial gain.

“It’s not just money. Better doesn’t mean money. It means to live the life as you want and prefer and love.”

Mohamed Nafez Hamed,22, at the beach in Gaza City on November 2,2018. His older brother Sajed Hamed and another colleague decided to try their luck outside Gaza. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National.
Mohamed Nafez Hamed,22, at the beach in Gaza City on November 2,2018. His older brother Sajed Hamed and another colleague decided to try their luck outside Gaza. Photo by Heidi Levine for The National.

He also knows, having suffered when his brothers went, how hard his departure will be on the ones who remain.

Now, though, is the time to leave. Israel and Egypt have led a blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas took over. Israel controls most crossings and Egypt just one. For most Palestinians, exit through the Erez crossing to Israel is still basically impossible, but currently the Rafah crossing to Egypt is open. People are rushing to pass before it closes again. In March, 690 people left Gaza via Rafah. After restrictions were loosened in May, that number has ranged from 6,000 to over 8,700 people monthly, according to a United Nations report released in October.

Still, one cannot just show up and go: A Gazan needs a coveted visa to another country and to have their names on lists put together by Egyptian and Hamas authorities. The process often takes months. Once people register to cross, they are put on a waiting list given the high demand. Some wait as long as eight months, others closer to one month. Money and connections can place one higher on the desired departure list faster than others, Gazans say.

Even the lucky ones who can afford the thousands of dollars needed for the visas and travel costs, bribes included, often struggle to adapt to life outside of Gaza – and the guilt of what people back home are still living. Their families in turn sit waiting for news via Whatsapp or Facebook, mourning their personal and collective loss.

Sa’adiya Saftawi, 48, has three sons abroad, a husband in Israeli prison, and two daughters left in Gaza who dream of getting out.

“I’m laughing now but day to day I cry,” she says as she describes the pain of separation. She worries about what will happen to her sons – one a refugee in America, another who went from Algeria to Spain, where he now has asylum, and a third who just left for Turkey in July. She follows the news about US President Donald Trump’s war on refugees and the rise of far-right groups in Europe.

“It scares one to think about this because we are looking for stability,” she says. “They want to build their future: work, marriage, security. They are looking for a safer place.”

The sisters, meanwhile, are left to scheme and suffer amongst themselves, occasionally taking solace in playing with the orange cat of the brother who most recently left.

“When we were together we would share in the suffering,” says twenty-year-old Sarah Saftawi. “But now everyone’s on their own and I feel that the support is less… It’s very quiet, boringly quiet. And I worry about them.”

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Leen Saftawi, the youngest at 17 years old and in her first year of an English Literature degree, says she feels a little upset and jealousy towards her brothers.

“It is easier for them travel,” she says, “because they are boys and the women in this society are considered weaker.”

Still, when she and her female friends gather, “We talk every time about the subject,” she says. “Not all of their families will accept this [daughters traveling out]. We talk about how to get our rights.”

Leen says the biggest, and saddest, social change in Gaza in recent years is that “people are just serving themselves” as communities grow more insular and conservative in the face of constant barrages from all sides.

“We [the family] have been dispersed but our plan is to be together, in any country,” Sarah says.

That was 22-year-old Mohamed Nafez Hamed’s plan, too. Only it has not turned out that way.

Mohamed’s older brother by two years, Sajed Hamed, was on the cusp of opening a new graphic design business when the office with all his equipment was destroyed by Israel during the 2014 war. Back at square one, Sajed and another colleague decided to try their luck outside Gaza. Back then Rafah was closed, so they were smuggled through the tunnels to Egypt and then set out on a boat from Alexandria to Italy.  The boat crashed. Mohamed's relatives have not heard from Sajed since.

Mohamed insists his brother is not dead until he hears otherwise.

“We believe he is still alive,” he says. “We are still hoping. I can hope. But it still doesn’t take away the pain and sadness.”

Palestinians bid farewell to family members aboard a bus in Khan Younis as they leave to travel to the Rafa crossing to Egypt.For most Palestinians, exit through the Erez crossing to Israel is still basically impossible, but currently the Rafah crossing to Egypt is open. People are rushing to pass before it closes again. In March, 690 people left Gaza via Rafah; after restrictions were loosened in May, in the months since that number has shot up to ranges from 6,000 to over 8,700 people monthly, according to a United Nations report released in October.
Palestinians bid farewell to family members aboard a bus in Khan Younis as they leave to travel to the Rafa crossing to Egypt.For most Palestinians, exit through the Erez crossing to Israel is still basically impossible, but currently the Rafah crossing to Egypt is open. People are rushing to pass before it closes again. In March, 690 people left Gaza via Rafah; after restrictions were loosened in May, in the months since that number has shot up to ranges from 6,000 to over 8,700 people monthly, according to a United Nations report released in October.

Mohamed started a designer notebook business, one of his brother’s ideas, in Sajed’s honour. Last year he bought an office for a headquarters. Only then he and a younger brother, Abdul Rahman Hamed, decided they could do better and get out, too. He sold his business, packed his bags, paid for the visas and bribes so the Egyptians would cause him less trouble – and then the day before received a call from Hamas that, for whatever reason, his name was not on the list of approved people to go.

The next day Abdul Rahman left as planned for Turkey. Mohamed stayed behind. For the next month and a half authorities in Gaza told him several times that his name would be added again to the list – only it never was and after pushing back he still cannot figure out why.

“It was written that I’ll stay in Gaza,” Mohamed says. He speaks with a steady cadence, but pauses several times to control his emotions before pushing ahead with his story.

Occasionally Mohamed and other families whose loved ones also disappeared on that ship receive scam calls or Facebook messages from places like Turkey or Italy: some mafia or group like ISIS has your son, they’ll say, so give us money and we’ll help set him free. Mohamed knows the calls are not real. But he is holding out hope that his brother is also trapped, somewhere else, like him.

Aziza Safi is similarly always on alert for news of her children and grandchild she still has not met. She does not know how to use a smartphone, so she waits for Ahmed to come home and make the calls.

“In the evening we sit together me and her laughing and talking about everyone, talking about what they did that day and if they faced any troubles,” says Ahmed. “Telling jokes. The sisters and the whole family come…”

He still cannot process what not having this will be like. Yet he knows he is not alone in it. Under Hamas, young people feel they cannot breathe and be themselves, while Israel keeps them effectively locked up.

“I finished my studies and I don’t have a job. I don’t have anything. I just have my mind and myself,”  Ahmed says.

“I don’t have a flat, like you’re supposed to have at this age. I don’t have a job, like you’re supposed to have at this age. So you have nothing. So I started to look for a chance, to look for a way to improve and get a good life. Studying a master’s degree in Tunisia is the first step... Then I’ll think about the next step.”

If his own situation improves, he will come back to Gaza, he says. But just to visit: he cannot imagine life here being any other way.

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

The specs

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Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

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Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

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New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett

British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly

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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.