A British-Palestinian couple has become stranded in Gaza during Israel’s siege, as the UK government reportedly has not provided adequate assistance. Naila and Talal El-Deeb were visiting relatives in Gaza when the conflict broke out on Saturday with Hamas’s attack on Israel. The couple had attempted to flee through Egypt, but an Israeli jet strike near the border halted their efforts. The British Embassy told them to follow the advice published on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) website. Mo El-Deeb, the couple’s son, reported that his parents had been sheltering in the dark without electricity and his mother had suffered a stroke since their arrival in Gaza.
Mo said his parents are now stuck, describing their situation as hopeless. Both his parents were originally from Gaza, and his father had returned to visit family a few months earlier, with Mrs El-Deeb joining him two weeks ago. Upon reaching the Egyptian border, the couple found about 5,000 people waiting in a queue. Within five minutes of their arrival, a strike was carried out on a building opposite the border, forcing them to evacuate and leaving them with no other safe place to go.
Another Londoner, Saleem Lubbad, a Palestinian academic who has lived there for over 10 years, expressed worry over his family in Gaza. He recently lost close family members, including three cousins and an uncle, and his siblings and their children have been displaced multiple times due to Israeli military airstrikes in the area. Lubbad described the whole place as being carpet-bombed, saying there’s nowhere to go, and expresses desperation for his siblings’ safety.
The UK government has facilitated commercial flights for British nationals wanting to leave Israel following the Hamas attacks, but those in Gaza are unable to cross the Israeli border. The government says it is working with international partners to keep the Rafah border crossing open. The current FCDO advice for British nationals in Gaza is to check the status of the Rafah crossing into Egypt before travelling. Movement to the Rafah crossing and beyond is at their own risk, and British citizens are encouraged to register with the FCDO
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