On September 17, 2014, Israeli daily Haaretz,
reported on its website that ever since Operation Protective Edge began, thousands of Gaza residents have attempted to flee to Europe, seeking asylum.
Israel’s complete ban on travel out of Gaza by air and sea and the severe restrictions on land travel to the West Bank, coupled with Egypt’s closure of Rafah Crossing has forced people to leave clandestinely, through the tunnels, aided by paid smugglers. The refugees crawl inside the tunnels for dozens of meters to the Egyptian side, where a vehicle transports them to Port Said, and from there to the port city of Alexandria. They sail out of Egypt’s territorial waters by boat and then board ships headed for Europe. Refugees put their fate in the hands of smugglers, risk their lives and suffer extremely difficult conditions during this journey.
A Gaza resident who planned to leave but changed his mind after hearing reports about a ship that drowned with more than 400 Palestinians on board said: “[P]eople are completely desperate and want to leave. They say clearly it’s better to die at sea than die of despair and frustration in Gaza”.
