Diaspora Palestinians in Greece fear for relatives in Gaza, long for peace

Diaspora Palestinians who were uprooted during previous crises fear they may be witnessing the biggest forced displacement in their lifetimes.

“They tell us to go to the south [of Gaza],” said Salma Shawwa, referring to Israel’s order to 1.5 million Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to move south last month.

“So slowly, slowly we will go to the border and then to Sinai? Is this the solution? So Gaza will be gone also? And then [the Israelis] will go to the West Bank and Jerusalem, so we will all be gone?”

Israel ordered the evacuation, claiming it was attempting to minimise civilian casualties as it launched a ground war against Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people.

But after telling Palestinians to leave their homes, Israel bombed sites in the south, including areas it had declared as safe.

Since Israel declared war against Hamas, it has killed more than 14,100 Palestinians in Gaza, the densely populated enclave run by the Palestinian armed group.

Shawwa, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served as mayors of Gaza, is not sure evacuated Palestinians will ever be allowed to return.

Her sister, who still lives in Gaza with her family, had to leave because her house was damaged by bombing.

“My sister is not sure they can go back to their houses. Some of them tried and they were bombed,” said Shawwa.

Shawwa arrived in Athens in 2000 and now works for the Athens Bar Association.