Dubai: The strife in conflict ridden Gaza is taking its toll on Palestinian expatriates living in the UAE.
Daily news images of shelling residential buildings and the killing of civilians has left many feeling helpless and devastated.
And as the death toll reaches around 1,000 in just 20 days, many wonder when the violence will come to a stop.
Gulf News talked to Palestinian residents in the UAE about the impact of the attacks in Gaza on their daily lives.
Sharing the same feelings of sadness and despair as many other Palestinians living in the UAE, 23-year-old Aida Al Naser, from Nablus, told Gulf News she is in a constant state of distress as she follows the news coverage of Gaza.
“We watch entire families being annihilated everyday by the Israeli killing machine,” she said. Aida, who works as a translator in Dubai, said her family was not able to enjoy Eid with so much violence taking place in her home country.
“It has affected me internally. I am at the point where I stay up all night watching and reading news about Gaza. I am also feeling painfully stressed most of the time because of all the suffering I am seeing.”
Feeling helpless and angry, Aida said she is praying for her brothers and sisters back home, and using social media as a way to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza. “I am trying to participate in debunking the Zionist propaganda that Israel supporters have been circulating through social media,” she said.
Lina Al Sayegh, a 23-year-old Gazan accountant, said that generations of her families lived in Gaza and she has a lot of family members there.
“My grandfather, grandmother, my aunts and cousins and many relatives are still there. For the past couple of weeks I had nothing to think about or concentrate on other than my home country.”
She said they call every day to check on them, fearing bad news.
“Hundreds of children are killed for no reason. And I am asking all the presidents of all the Arab countries who represent their people, to speak out and help them, because Palestine is not only for the Palestinians, it has sacred sights such as Al Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre [Church of the Resurrection] and the Church of the Nativity.”
Lina said she last visited Gaza on January 19, 2013 and saw a lot of improvements.
“Now I am thinking of how they will rebuild Gaza after the improvement I witnessed last year.”
She said all she can do is pray for Gaza and her family back there and share Facebook posts about what is happening in Gaza.
“When you sit back here and there is nothing you can do, you feel ashamed of yourself. This is what is happening with me and the rest of my family who are here.”
Dana Abdullah, 24, originally from Tul Karem, Palestine said that she and her family are horrified by what’s going on in Gaza.
“The genocide is inhumane - The fragmented bodies of innocent children and other civilians, the destroyed homes. It’s terrible because they’re already impoverished as is and now they’re dealing with imprisonment, major injuries and death.”
Despite not having relatives in Gaza, she said, she deeply feels “for every Palestinian nonetheless; they hold the same traditions as us and we all come from the same place.”
Like many others, the constant coverage on social media and TV has devastated her.
“It’s affected my daily life. Whatever problems I go through, I know it’s nothing compared to what the people of Gaza are experiencing.”
She said people in Gaza watch their children and other family members and friends die, as not knowing when or whether they’ll be next “in this open-air prison.”
