One year of Gaza war: Palestinians in UAE struggle to rebuild lives after losing 'reason to live'

One year has passed since the war in Gaza erupted, but for the families torn apart, the grief lingers as fresh as the first bomb that fell.

The ongoing armed conflict has left behind a trail of unimaginable devastation — lives lost, homes destroyed, and dreams reduced to rubble.

For many Gazans now in the UAE, being physically far from the conflict has not lessened their pain; it has only intensified the feeling of helplessness. As they attempt to rebuild their lives in exile, they carry with them the burden of loss, knowing their loved ones and everything they worked for are now just memories.

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Lost everything, including own son

At 72, Esaam had built his life through hard work and determination. His flour mill in Gaza, worth over $2.1 million, had been his pride and the lifeblood of his family. For decades, it not only supported his children and grandchildren, but also fed countless families in the region. “That mill was everything to me. It was how I gave back to my family, to my community,” he said.

But in a single moment, it was gone, bombed to the ground during an Israeli airstrike. “I watched it on the news. I couldn’t believe it,” Esaam told Khaleej Times. “A lifetime of work, reduced to nothing in seconds.” His home, valued at $200,000, suffered the same fate. “I built that house with my own hands. Every brick had a story, every corner a memory,” he said.

Yet, for Esaam, the destruction of his business and home paled in comparison to the heart-wrenching loss of his youngest son, Saif Esaam, who was just 27 years old. Saif had been a volunteer with the World Cook Kitchen (WCK), an organisation that came to Gaza to feed those struggling amidst the chaos. Despite the immense hardship his own family was enduring, Saif devoted himself to helping others.

“He was driving the WCK staff to deliver meals when his jeep was bombed by the IDF,” Esaam said. “He and four other foreign volunteers were killed on the spot.”

His son, who had been working to support others, was now gone. “Saif had a heart of gold. He lost his life trying to help his people, even when we were struggling ourselves,” Esaam added. “He wanted to make a difference. He died while making that difference.”

The pain of losing his youngest son, his last connection to the future, is something that haunts Esaam every day. “I’m 72 years old. I’ve lost my home, my business, and now, I’ve lost my child,” he said. “I don’t know how to rebuild. How can you rebuild when you’ve lost your reason to live?”

A new father with no home for his child

Abdullah Mustafa, a 26-year-old, had been filled with hope for the future. He had married his wife in 2020 and, shortly after, opened a small supermarket in Gaza. The store was meant to be the foundation of their family’s financial stability, especially with their first child on the way.

“When I opened that supermarket, I imagined it would be how I supported my family for the rest of our lives,” Abdullah said. But when the war broke out, his dreams were shattered along with his store. His wife was heavily pregnant, and as bombs rained down, they lost not only their livelihood but also their home. “I remember holding my wife’s hand, looking at the wreckage, and thinking, ‘How can we bring a child into this world?’”

Just weeks later, their child was born, but instead of celebrating the start of a new chapter, they were forced to live in a tent with his in-laws. “We have nothing left. No home, no business. And yet, here we are, with a baby who deserves so much more,” Abdullah told Khaleej Times. “I wanted to give my child a safe life, a future. But now, I can barely give them a roof over their head.”

The young father’s eyes were heavy with the weight of the responsibility he feels, and the fear of what’s to come. “I don’t know how we’ll survive, but I have to keep going — for my wife, for my child,” Abdullah said. “I have to believe that one day, somehow, we will find a way out of this.”

A mother mourns the loss of her entire family

For Wessam, 45, the war has taken a toll that no words can adequately express. She left Gaza in 2000, seeking a better future for her children in the UAE. Divorced now and living alone, she still stayed connected with her family back in Gaza — her three brothers, their wives, and children. “I moved for my children’s future, but Gaza was still my home. My brothers were my world,” she said.

• UAE delivers additional essential supplies to displaced families in Gaza