Some South Africans evacuated from Gaza face daunting reality of starting over
Some of the South Africans who were evacuated from Gaza lived in the city for most of their adult lives and now faced the reality of starting over.
On Tuesday, 19 South Africans – a mixture of children, teenagers, and adults – touched down at OR Tambo International Airport after a difficult trek through Palestine to Egypt.
The City of Gaza has been at the epicentre of a deadly conflict between Israel and Palestine.
The Israeli government said about 1,200 of its civilians were killed by Hamas, while the Palestine health ministry said over 15,000 of its civilians were killed by the Israeli army since 7 October.
Zaakirah Chotiah moved from South Africa to Gaza in 1997 to work as a translator.
She said for all her four children, home had always been Gaza.
“It’s been a difficult journey as a South African living [in Gaza] for two and a half decades, but I do give my gratitude and thanks to the South African president and his team.”
Heider Eid, who suffered hearing loss due to the bombs, said he felt like he had been displaced again.
“I have lost my house. I have been displaced with my family three times and this is the fourth time, but I wouldn’t consider it a displacement because South Africa is my homeland.”
Eid said too many innocent people suffered in the Israel and Palestine conflict and it was now time for the international community to call for a permanent ceasefire.
-EWN
In other news – Ex-Generations actress Sonia Mbele exposes her deadbeat baby-daddy
Well-known Mzansi actress Sonia Mbele has recently opened up about parenting as seen in an X (formally known as Twitter) video shared on 30 November. In the clip, she shared a story of a time she bumped into her deadbeat son’s father at a supermarket in Joburg.
The former Generations star got into detail as she shared a real story of the time she ran into her deadbeat baby daddy whom she had been with for almost a decade before their split. Read More
