immigration

Shaaban Khalaf's advice was clear to any Gazan resident thinking of heading to Europe in search of a better life: Don't take any risks, it's not worth the risks and expenses. Khalaf must know this with certainty. The journalism graduate, desperate to find a decent job in Gaza, where the economy was on the verge of collapse, boarded a plane to Turkey from Egypt in June 2018 and attempted at least 18 times to cross to Europe, mostly by sea. Khalaf (25 years old) said, “One time, a marine boat hit our boat and the boat capsized and we were going to die,” adding that every time the Turkish or Greek authorities would return them to the shores of Turkey. By February of that year, he gave up and returned to his home in Gaza, poorer because of his ordeal, as he had to pay money to people smugglers who tried in vain to get him to Europe. He said, "I do not advise people to leave unless they have a guaranteed job waiting for them. This means that it is better for them to remain with their families here or until they die with them in Gaza, rather than for them to leave their situation to the unknown or to die in the sea." Thousands of other Palestinians have gone through similar experiences as they tried to escape the clutches of rampant unemployment, poverty and the violence of life in the small coastal Gaza Strip, which is run by the Hamas movement. The population of Gaza is suffering under the weight of three wars with Israel, 12 years of an Israeli-led blockade that impedes the movement of people and goods, and a long power struggle between Palestinian factions. An unknown number of Gazans died trying to cross to Europe on dangerous sea journeys, leaving their families in limbo about their final fate. Some of them were buried in Türkiye or Greece, or were returned to the Gaza Strip in coffins. Human rights activists in Gaza believe that about 30,000 of the Strip's two million residents have tried to leave in the past ten years, and that the numbers increased after the 50-day war in 2014 between Israel and Hamas. "No work, no future" Israeli air strikes and shelling destroyed entire neighborhoods in the 375-square-kilometre enclave in that conflict, with Hamas and other armed groups firing rockets at cities in the heart of Israel, which along with Egypt imposes a blockade on Gaza citing security concerns. Palestinian health officials indicate that more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed, while Israel says 67 soldiers and six civilians died. Khalaf said, "Israel is the main reason for our misfortunes, but division is also a main reason." He was referring to the economic sanctions imposed by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to pressure Hamas to relinquish power. Hamas seized control of Gaza during fighting in 2007. Khalaf told Reuters at a language center in Gaza where he teaches Turkish, "Because because of the division, there is no job for young people. Most of those who left Gaza were graduates." Khalaf added that his trip from Gaza cost him three thousand dollars, including entry fees to Egypt, the ticket to Turkey, and the money of the smugglers who tried to transport him to Greece while he was hiding from drones and security patrols. Greece is a usual first step for Palestinians and others hoping to seek refuge in the European Union, but EU countries and Turkey have significantly tightened border controls and intensified security patrols to deter migrants from trying to arrive. But a lot