‘A ceasefire is just the start’ say British Palestinians with family in Gaza
The ceasefire deal would release dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza and pause the 15-month-war.
British Palestinians with family in Gaza have expressed their relief over the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but say they are worried about what’s going to happen next.
Israel’s security cabinet met on Friday to approve the ceasefire deal, paving the way for the full Israeli cabinet to sign off on the deal, which would come into place on Sunday and see the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Wafaa Shamallakh, 38, an Arabic interpreter who works for Kingston Council, said that while she was happy to share the news of the ceasefire with her siblings in Gaza, she still fears for them.
Ms Shamallakh, who has lived in Kingston, south-west London, for the last 17 years, said she lost 10 members of her family in an airstrike in Sheikh Eljeen, south-west Gaza on October 8 2023.
Her mother is currently in Egypt after losing her home in Gaza, while her brother and sister are currently staying in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
“Since the announcement (on Wednesday), more than 80 people have been killed, so we’re still waiting for Sunday,” Ms Shamallakh told the PA news agency.
“There’s no guarantees that the Israeli side will do what they agreed. We’re still afraid and scared of what’s going to happen next.”
Ms Shamallakh has tried to bring her mother to the UK but her visa application was rejected.
“My mum is alone in Egypt, and it’s hard. I’m worried about her,” she said.
“If they let the people go back to Gaza, I’m not very keen for my mum to go back because she lost her house, so there’s no place to go back to.
“It’s not easy for an old lady to live in a tent and her mental health is deteriorating.”
Ms Shamallakh is also concerned for her brother and sister and their children in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
She said: “They live in a tent. They don’t have the basic life facilities, from hygiene, clean water, medications.
“My nephew and niece both have epilepsy. They are short of medication, and their conditions are deteriorating, getting worse every day.
“As a British Palestinian, who has been living here in this country for more than 17 years, I am unable to bring my family to safety.”
Mohammed Ghalayini, a British Palestinian scientist from Gaza City living in Manchester, said a ceasefire is just a start for the Palestinian people.
Mr Ghalayini, 45, who lived in Gaza from the age of nine to 25, said he has seen repeated agreements that have “come to nothing” over the years.
Mr Ghalayini was visiting family in Gaza when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 2023.
He chose to stay there with his mother and sister, eventually having to flee to safety in Egypt in December 2023, before returning to Manchester.
Since the war started, Mr Ghalayini said he has lost 100 family members on both sides.
Mr Ghalayini said despite the hardship, he hopes to return to Gaza in the future when the conditions allow.
“I guess the night can’t last forever, then Palestine will be free, it’s a matter of when and how,” he said.
