'They are alive … for now': Dubai residents fear for their families back home in Gaza

Dubai resident K.M. is heartbroken after losing five relatives in Gaza, as Israel continues to bomb the city. “I am scared,” she said. “Every time my phone rings, I am scared that I will have lost more of my family members. But my parents and relatives sound so bold, happy and cheerful when we manage to speak to them on the phone. They say they are ready to face anything, but I know that in reality, they are just waiting for their turn.”

She is one of many Palestinian residents who have lost their loved ones or live in constant fear of receiving tragic news as the Israel-Hamas war rages on.

Another UAE resident, A.S., posted a heartbreaking account of losing his friend in the strikes. A former student of a university in the UAE, the friend was killed along with his family as a bomb destroyed their home. A.S paid tributes to his late friend in a social media post.

On October 7, Hamas launched an offensive attack on Israel, killing hundreds and taking several as hostages. Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed over 6,500 people- 2,700 of whom were children.

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Life savings wiped out

For Alaaeddin Aburamadan, who works for a public relations agency in Dubai, his father’s life-long savings in the UAE was destroyed in the bombing. Aburamadan’s parents lived in the UAE for 40 years before they moved back to their newly built home in Gaza.

“My parents had built this house from their life-long savings in the UAE after retirement,” he said. “It was bombed around two weeks ago. Thank God, my parents were not in the house as they went to Egypt two months ago for my mother’s treatment.”

Aburamadan speaks to his sister twice a day to check on her and her three kids aged below 14.

“They are hiding in the south to survive. For weeks, they have had a very limited supply of food and LPG to cook gas as supplies have been cut off. So, my brother-in-law took a risk and went to the city to get gas and supplies because they had no other option. They’ve taken refuge in a three-floor house with 70 other people. Every family pitches in money and they make one meal for the entire house. It is a shared responsibility,” Aburamadan told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Israel rejected calls for ceasefire at the United Nations Security Council meeting, vowing to wipe out Hamas.

'They are alive…for now'

For Palestinian musician Haishe, who lives in Dubai, every day is like living through his worst nightmare. He has his family in the town of Zaytoon in Gaza where bombing has reduced the entire neighbourhood to rubble.

“The ancestral homes of my father and mother have been destroyed in the bombing,” he said, speaking to Khaleej Times. “My family has sought shelter in a church. It is the only place that has not been destroyed in the entire area. They are alive…for now.” He shared a photo of him in his ancestral home and the state of the house now:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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