CAIRO: More than 100,000 Palestinians who left Gaza during the war remain stranded overseas, still waiting for conditions that would allow them to return, according to Palestinian Authority figures.
Omar al-Hassayna, who fled to Cairo after an Israeli airstrike killed hundreds of his extended family members, says he hopes to return once Gaza becomes stable and reconstruction begins.
“I am waiting for the moment when Gaza becomes stable so I can return to my country,” he said.
Nearly a year after a ceasefire was expected to pave the way for reconstruction and a political process, little has changed. Israeli forces still control more than 60% of Gaza and continue to carry out airstrikes, while Hamas controls most populated areas.
Hassayna said 308 members of his extended family were killed in Israeli strikes on November 22, 2023, including his wife, four sons and four grandchildren.
His surviving family members are now scattered between Egypt, Turkey and Gaza, with many still unable to return home.