Palestinians Stranded Between Exile and War
A dimly lit locker room at the Nablus municipal stadium serves as a makeshift refuge for over 4,400 Palestinians who were stranded in Israel after Hamas launched its attack on October 7, 2023. The group, mostly consisting of construction workers from Gaza, was rounded up by Israeli forces and deported back to the West Bank, where they have been living in cramped conditions with limited access to basic necessities.
Their lives are a constant blur of news from Gaza, which flickers on a television screen 24/7. For Baker Majjar, 37, one of the refugees, the images evoke unbearable pain. His nephew and two children were killed during the Hamas attack, seeking food at an aid distribution point near Khan Younis. Majjar's own family was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike last year; he has lost more than a hundred relatives and friends to Israeli attacks since the war began.
Majjar, along with hundreds of other workers from Gaza, made his way to the West Bank after being rounded up by Israeli forces. They were among 18,500 married men who had permission to enter Israel for work, mostly in agriculture and construction. The Israeli authorities canceled their work permits, leaving many stranded without a means of support.
The Palestinian Authority's labour ministry provides them with around £162 per person every one to three months, but most of the money is eaten away by commissions. A handful have found short-term work for paltry pay. Majjar and his family are among those who remain in the stadium, separated from their loved ones living in makeshift tents inside Gaza.
The situation is dire, with temperatures soaring above 40C during the summer months, making life even more unbearable. Laundry hangs from the fences around the pitch, while makeshift dormitories offer cramped accommodation to the refugees. Some have lost faith in returning to Gaza, convinced that there is no longer a future among the ruins.
Others, like Khaled, 51, from Tuffah, still hold onto hope of reunifying with his surviving family members and returning to Gaza as soon as possible. However, for Samir Hajjaj Abu Salah, 55, from Khan Younis, there is no going back. He has lost faith in the possibility of rebuilding his life in Gaza and believes that once his family is evacuated, they will settle somewhere far from the Strip.
The situation highlights the precarious circumstances faced by Palestinians who were stranded in Israel during the conflict. With limited access to basic necessities and a dwindling sense of hope, their lives are caught between exile and war, with no clear path forward in sight.
A dimly lit locker room at the Nablus municipal stadium serves as a makeshift refuge for over 4,400 Palestinians who were stranded in Israel after Hamas launched its attack on October 7, 2023. The group, mostly consisting of construction workers from Gaza, was rounded up by Israeli forces and deported back to the West Bank, where they have been living in cramped conditions with limited access to basic necessities.
Their lives are a constant blur of news from Gaza, which flickers on a television screen 24/7. For Baker Majjar, 37, one of the refugees, the images evoke unbearable pain. His nephew and two children were killed during the Hamas attack, seeking food at an aid distribution point near Khan Younis. Majjar's own family was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike last year; he has lost more than a hundred relatives and friends to Israeli attacks since the war began.
Majjar, along with hundreds of other workers from Gaza, made his way to the West Bank after being rounded up by Israeli forces. They were among 18,500 married men who had permission to enter Israel for work, mostly in agriculture and construction. The Israeli authorities canceled their work permits, leaving many stranded without a means of support.
The Palestinian Authority's labour ministry provides them with around £162 per person every one to three months, but most of the money is eaten away by commissions. A handful have found short-term work for paltry pay. Majjar and his family are among those who remain in the stadium, separated from their loved ones living in makeshift tents inside Gaza.
The situation is dire, with temperatures soaring above 40C during the summer months, making life even more unbearable. Laundry hangs from the fences around the pitch, while makeshift dormitories offer cramped accommodation to the refugees. Some have lost faith in returning to Gaza, convinced that there is no longer a future among the ruins.
Others, like Khaled, 51, from Tuffah, still hold onto hope of reunifying with his surviving family members and returning to Gaza as soon as possible. However, for Samir Hajjaj Abu Salah, 55, from Khan Younis, there is no going back. He has lost faith in the possibility of rebuilding his life in Gaza and believes that once his family is evacuated, they will settle somewhere far from the Strip.
The situation highlights the precarious circumstances faced by Palestinians who were stranded in Israel during the conflict. With limited access to basic necessities and a dwindling sense of hope, their lives are caught between exile and war, with no clear path forward in sight.
i was thinking about how lucky we are here and they're stuck in this limbo, unable to go back home or support themselves... it's like they're living on the fringes of society, nobody really knows what's going on for them. baker majjar's story just broke my heart, i mean his whole family gone, can you imagine? 
and now he's stuck here with these other guys who are just trying to survive. the system is so broken, it's like they're forgotten by the world. 
This is heartbreaking 
. The lack of support from the Palestinian Authority is infuriating 
. 162 quid a month isn't going to cut it 
. These people have lost so much already, don't need to be treated like dirt 
.
. They're losing faith left and right, and who can blame them? There's no future for these guys in Gaza, at least not yet. Some are stuck between holding onto hope and giving up, but what's the point of either, right? It's all just a bloody mess... 
it's like they just lost everything - homes, families, livelihoods...all gone. 18k guys just sent back to the west bank with no job, no income...it's a miracle they survive with what little support from the palestinian authority 
and £162? that's not even enough for food let alone shelter 
it breaks my heart thinking about baker majjar losing his nephew & 2 kids...i wish we could just help them rebuild their lives 
4 thousands people trapped, livin in cramped conditions w/ limited access 2 basic necessities... its just not right 
we need 2 see some real change & support 4 these ppl ASAP 
I mean, can you even imagine being stuck in some dingy locker room for months, watching the news about your homeland on repeat? 
It's like being trapped in a never-ending cycle of despair. These 4,400 Palestinians are basically living in limbo, with no clear way out and limited resources to boot. £162 every few months? That's not even enough to cover the cost of living, let alone put food on the table. And don't even get me started on the conditions they're being held in – it's like a bad joke. A makeshift dormitory with laundry hanging from the fence? What is this, some kind of sadistic game show? 
The fact that people have lost faith in returning to Gaza just highlights how dire the situation has become. It's a mess, and we're all just sort of...meh. 
. I mean, £162 every 1-3 months isn't going to cut it, and commission fees are just taking a bigger chunk of their already meager income 
. For those who have lost loved ones or seen their homes destroyed, finding hope in return seems like a tough ask 
. But at the same time, I don't think giving up is the answer either 
.
. It's not rocket science, but it does take a collective effort from all of us 
But for Samir, it's like he's given up on life in Gaza, which is a shame 
stats alert! 
but dont wanna talk about the bad stuff... let's look at some good news! 
150k ppl have donated to aid relief efforts so far 
according to a recent report, 75% of Palestinian refugees are dependent on foreign aid for their basic needs 
and 90% of those refugees live in poverty lines 
stats show that 70% of Palestinians believe in a peaceful resolution to the conflict 
