Ongoing Agony of "Trapped" Wives in Gaza
The problem of "trapped" wives in the Gaza Strip is one of the most complex issues; it has heavily burdened women, especially after their capacity to bear responsibility and provide care alone was exhausted following the absence of the household head. They can no longer endure more humiliation, degradation, and compounded violence. Now, a woman finds herself single, a mother managing her children's affairs alone in light of the forced disappearance of her husband due to the war and the closure of crossings for Gaza residents. Yet the longing for reunion and family reunification grew, so the trapped wives held a protest stand to shake off the dust of injustice, in an attempt tinged with despair because of the forced separation that has befallen these wives.
A Widow's Plea for Return
An Egyptian widow stranded in Gaza Nahal Ismail, an
Egyptian by identity and the wife of a Palestinian martyr, began
speaking with deep sorrow. Nahal said that she lost her husband three years ago
at the beginning of the war on Gaza, and her daughter was injured, for which
she has medical reports to support her. However, due to the harsh conditions,
she was unable to leave and seek treatment. She confirmed that she is alone and
wants to return to her country, Egypt, as she has tasted the bitterness
of loss and alienation. She repeatedly appealed, saying that when the
breadwinner was martyred, the chapters of suffering began inside the
displacement tents with all their details. There is nothing left tying her to
Gaza; she wants to return to her country, Egypt, to end the suffering and
reunite with her children and her Egyptian family. She called for her
evacuation to save her young daughter from the specter of ignorance, especially
since education is no longer good in Gaza. She concluded saying I'm Egyptian,
and I have the right to return to my country.
Approvals Halted by the Crossing
Walaa received exit approval, but it is delayed due to the
crossing She began her talk with a heart full of sorrow, as she had received
official approval from the American embassy in Jerusalem since the beginning of
the war on Gaza. Walaa is the wife of a Jordanian of Palestinian origin
residing in America. She confirmed that the American embassy had sent
her repeated interview requests, but the circumstances in Gaza prevented her
from reaching the interview and then leaving for her husband. She said:
"Nine years of waiting in vain, as neither she nor her husband can afford
to pay more than $50,000 for coordination to leave Gaza, an amount that exceeds
the limits of humanity." She confirmed that the file of stranded wives is
no different from the files of patients and students; all women suffer from
silent and invisible pain, a torment without a solution. She explained that the
psychological torment is harsher than physical pain. However, despite all this
distance, desperate attempts, and repeated calls, Walaa appealed to His Majesty
King Abdullah, "the King of Jordan," to look into her case,
especially since her name is on the lists. However, the Jordanian side
confirmed to her that the problem lies with the Israeli side for her to be able
to leave Gaza. So, will Walaa go to meet her husband in America after years of
waiting, even to she had the great opportunity to leave Gaza? But the outbreak
of war prevented her from meeting her husband!
Children Speaking of Longing
I want, Dad, a word that summarizes years of longing The
child "Nawaf Abu Amour" began his speech by introducing his name and
quickly expressed his feelings of longing for his father. He said: "I miss
my dad for 6 years; I want to hug him like other children. I ask the
specialized authorities to help me see my dad. We have no health or education.
Help us, take us to him." The little girl Nusa, who is 6 years old,
expressed her feelings as well, saying, "I miss him a lot ". so, the
8-year-old child, Mohammed, said: All the children have a dad except me, and he
misses his father's embrace, which he has been without for 3 years. His little
sister, who cannot express her feelings because she has just started speaking,
but her feelings were greater than her ability to articulate them, saying,
"I want my dad, I want to kiss him and hug him". I don't have a dad.
Open the crossing for us, I miss him!
Voices from the Protest
A protest to l "After years of painful grief, women
have now started to convey the deep sadness that has been hidden deep within
their wounded hearts—the sorrow of being enslaved and the ongoing agony of
being absent. One of them spoke in front of the cameras on behalf of her
sisters, each of them has a different scar from injustice but who experience
the same oppressive oppression. "We, the stranded wives, ask for
freedom," she exclaimed. The apples of our eyes have grown up apart from their
fathers' vision, and we beg the authorities to bring our broken lives back to
our husbands, who have been waiting for us in exile for years. Our children
have been deprived of a life of dignity, education, and safety, and they have
only experienced fear and slaughter. Let's just head to Gaza. "Open the
gates of life for us, so we may escape this death," she said, referring to
the roughly 600 wives who remain stranded Left the veil of injustice on trapped
wives.
A Dream Turned into a Nightmare
"During the protest, one of them was crying violently.
We found out when we walked up to her that she had just arrived from Turkey a
few days before the start of the start of the war. Due to her weak health, she
had left her husband behind to deliver birth to her daughter amid her family,
hoping to return to him holding a lovely flower in her arms. But without a
thorough examination of these stranded wives' files, that fantasy became an
awful a bad dream, a jail from which there is no way out. Sadly, her young
daughter was raised apart from her father's arms, surrounded by the eerie smell
of blood, scenes of murder, hunger pangs, and the dreadful sound of
bombardment.
Trapped in the Prime of Youth
Like each woman in a typical situation, there is a young
woman in her prime who has never experienced the joy of living with her spouse
or the beauty of love. However, this is what happens to women in Gaza:
suffering in the tiniest aspects of life, loss, and death. "My paperwork
and residency are ready in Croatia, but the embassy advised me that I must
first visit Egypt to begin completing the exit processes," she responded
in response to my question. "Please open the crossing for us, just for
passage, so we can rejoin with our husbands," she begged. We just want to
get out of Gaza; we don't want to stay in Egypt.
Continued Closure and Uncertainty
Since May / 2024, the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been closed continuously. This has caused a great deal of misery for many wives who are stuck in Gaza and want to be reunited with their spouses in Arab and European countries. In light of the enormous complexity of modern travel, these women beg for the crossing to be made easier When the list of stranded wives will be handled at the Rafah crossing is still up in the air. To stay informed on the most recent developments on this pressing issue, we strongly advise keeping in touch with the appropriate official authorities in Egypt and Gaza Strip.
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