Key bits. More at the link.
[DW] Among the many ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
are also young men from Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
. DW met three of them to find out what they're leaving behind, how they plan to reach Europe, and what they're hoping for once there.
A few clothes, important documents, money and cellphones ― that’s all Waseem, Wajdi and Momen packed for their start into a new life. Their plan: Cross from Gaza into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing. Then travel to
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor.... And then make it to the EU from there. But none of the three young men have a visa to enter the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
. They plan to join the scores of
"Of course, it is risky. It’s difficult, but this is the only way to seek a better future," says 26-year-old Wajdi, who has never left Gaza. He is still traumatized from the war in 2014, when his family home was severely damaged.
His friend Waseem also doesn’t see his future in Gaza.
"Nobody should ask us why we want to leave Gaza. It’s impossible to make a living here," the 26-year-old says. He, like his two friends, wants to be referred to by first name only to protect their identity. "I studied hard, worked hard, stayed up late, got up early, tried everything to get a proper job and what did we achieve, besides living through wars and conflict?"
The third young man in the group, Momen, who is in his late twenties, is married and has two small children. The other two refer to him as the expert, but none of them know where they will be a few weeks from now. Momen made it to a Greek island via Turkey last year, only to be caught and sent back. Now he has secured enough money to try again. Momen hopes to bring his family along once he makes it. "My kids are afraid [of what will happen] if there is a war. Why would we have to continue living in such a situation?"
Waseem graduated with a degree in accounting six years ago but has not been able to find a job in his field. In Gaza, 59.3% of 15- to 29-year-olds are currently unemployed, according to recently published figures from the World Bank.
"I was one of the top five graduates, but none of us found a job in our field or, generally speaking, any job," says Waseem. To get a job these days, he says you need the right affiliation and connections. "They [the de facto government] take lots of taxes, but we get nothing in return. It feels like it [Gaza] is theirs, but not my home anymore."
BLEAK PROSPECTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Young Gazooks cannot look to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which is part of the Paleostinian Territories, for work possibilities either. It is nearly impossible to get a permit from Israel to visit or to live there and work. So instead, some of those wanting to leave the claustrophobia of locked-down Gaza behind, look abroad.
Getting a visa to enter an EU country is extremely difficult. That’s why Momen, Waseem and Wajdi procured visas to Turkey, which is currently known among
Momen estimates the overall cost of the one-way journey to Europe to be between 5,000 and 12,000 euros, depending on the route. This includes visa and flight costs to Turkey, in addition to fees and transportation costs paid to smugglers at various stages.
It is a dangerous journey with many hurdles. The trouble starts with the first step: Leaving Gaza via the Rafah border crossing in the territory’s south. Getting past the crossing is a complicated process that requires prior coordination with Egyptian authorities and can take hours. In the past, the crossing was often closed entirely.
After their flight from Cairo, Egypt, to Istanbul, Turkey, the trio will travel to different coastal cities. From there on, they will depend on smugglers, who sell space on small motorboats to cross the Mediterranean to the Greek islands such as Rhodes or Lesbos. Yet more smugglers would be needed to reach the Greek mainland.
Once in Greece, the young men’s main worry would be to escape registration and to avoid being picked up by police. Ultimately, they plan to claim asylum in Belgium or in Germany, where they have friends.
And the final paragraph:
But despite all the risks, he and his friends have set off and left their home for an uncertain future. Last DW heard, Waseem has arrived in Belgium. It is unclear what happened to Wajdi after his arrival in Turkey. And Momen is still waiting for an opportunity to cross the Mediterranean to make it to Europe.