Egyptians in Gaza: ‘We escaped from certain death’
June 30, 2017
Hundreds of refugees fleeing the Sinai conflict have settled in Gaza, where they have been subsisting on handouts.
Rafah, Gaza – Surviving in a dirty tent in southern Gaza, Salman Shigan cannot return home across the border to neighbouring Egypt – because his home no longer exists.
“We escaped from the unbearable persecution and almost certain death carried out by the Egyptian army, during what they called the counterterrorism operations against jihadist groups in Sinai,” the 71-year-old told Al Jazeera.
Shigan’s family home in northern Sinai was demolished by the Egyptian army in 2015, as soldiers worked to clear areas where armed fighters were alleged to be hiding. The incident prompted him to suffer a heart attack. After partially recovering, he and his family – including 24 children and grandchildren – fled to Gaza through a tunnel used by smugglers.
The Egyptian army has not compensated the family for the destruction of their house. “They left us to face unknown destiny with our young children … Now, we live in abominable conditions and hugely suffer to get the basic services of water and electricity,” Shigan said.
Egypt’s Sinai province has been rocked by violence and instability since armed groups stepped up attacks against the army after the 2013 overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president. In response, the Egyptian army launched a massive military campaign, which involved the demolition of hundreds of homes. Caught in the crossfire, hundreds of Bedouin tribespeople have fled the region for Gaza.
The flow of refugees from the Sinai has continued into this year, with many telling of how their homes were demolished, their loved ones persecuted and their lives destroyed. But they are not finding much comfort in the Gaza Strip, where a crippling Israeli-Egyptian siege has made life unbearable for many of the territory’s two million residents.
