Trève Israel – Hamas: in Gaza, food aid returns, but uncertainty persists for refugees

Sitting on the edge of his bed in an apartment in the center of Cairo, Reem*, 29 years old and elegant black hair sliding on his shoulders, retains his emotion. With each evocation of Gaza, tears are never far away. “When the ceasefire was announced, I couldn’t join the news. I knew it was true, but I didn’t feel anything. It came two days later. Everything has rejoil, all the emotions that I had prohibited since the start of the war, ”said the former anesthesiologist at the Indonesian hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip.

A joy shared by the Gazaouie community refugee in Cairo, Egypt. “I come from one of the cities most affected by bombing, and I have been afraid for my family for fifteen months, my seven brothers stayed in Gaza. The ceasefire was an immense relief, ”said Hussam*, originally from Beit Lahia, north of the territory.

This Gazaoui, installed for several years in Spain, came to visit loved ones who have been able to flee the war. “But I still have this concern: will it hold?” What will Israel do when the hostages are released? Every day, everything can start again. For the moment, help arrives because the world has its eyes on Gaza, but Israel has always calculated the aid for us to receive the minimum of calories, “adds, feverish, this thirty -something.

The opposition of part of the Israeli population to the truce and the statements of the government of Benyamin Netanyahu, leaving the door open to a resumption of hostilities in the event of failure of the negotiations, feed the concern of the Gazaouis on the side Egyptian.

The end of the humanitarian blockade

The daily entrance to hundreds of trucks from Egypt represents a breath of fresh air for Gazaouis. “I was able to talk to my loved ones, they say that food is back in the markets. But it’s not free help, and people have almost no money. The opening to trucks has nevertheless reduced prices, ”says Reem. For its part, UNRWA, the United Nations Agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, announced that nearly 4,000 trucks filled with assistance and food products awaiting Gaza. Rafah’s border post, the only window of Gazaouis to the outside, had been closed last May by the Israeli army.

The Government of Cairo has announced the resumption of the evacuations of the injured Gazouis to its territory. But as always, it firmly opposes the reception of refugees and even more to the massive transfer of the inhabitants of Gaza to the Egyptian soil desired by Donald Trump – Jordan would be supposed to welcome, for its part, the Palestinians of West Bank. “The country will not open its borders to them,” warns Hussam. Cairo had already threatened to withdraw from the 1979 peace treaty if the Israelis pushed a single Palestinian in Egypt.

“Only a minority can go out by paying,” says Reem. To flee the Gaza enclave, it passed via Hala, an Egyptian company specializing in tourist visas for a small number of VIPs and owned by Ibrahim al Argany, a Bedouin nicknamed the “king of the passage”.

“The prices were exorbitant. They went up to $ 10,000 per person. When they fell to $ 5,000, we registered because the Israelis threatened to invade Rafah and prevent any future outing, “she continues, plagued by the guilt of abandonment since his arrival in Egypt, in February 2024.

Lack of future in Egypt

According to the Palestinian ambassador Diab Al Louh, around 100,000 Palestinians are refugees on Egyptian soil. But they have almost no protection. They are not covered either by the High Commission for United Nations refugees (UNHCR) or by UNRWA, which does not have a mandate.

Many depend only on Egyptian charitable associations for their survival. “I’m not going to stay, I applied for study programs in Europe. Gaza refugees do not have their place in this country. I don’t have the right to study, to work, my future slips me between my fingers. Yes, there is security, the absence of bombs, but it is like a prison finally, “deplores Reem.

“The ban on working will push a lot of Gazaouis to return to the enclave once the border is reopened,” adds Hussam. For others, the return to Gaza is obvious. Reem’s mother and husband have already announced their wish to go home. With the risk of staying trapped if the conflict resumes.

* The first names have been modified