• Palestinians say many young people are leaving blockaded Gaza Strip for Europe in search of better life

• Economist  Mohamed Abu Jiab says mass exodus from Gaza has turned into a 'phenomenon'

• Local authorities contend reports about migration aim to 'mislead' people

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Deteriorating living conditions in the Gaza Strip are triggering a mass migration of young Palestinians to Europe for a better future.

Home to nearly 2.3 million Palestinians, Gaza has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, badly affecting livelihood in the seaside territory.

“My 24-year-old son Mohamed immigrated from Gaza for Greece a week ago,” Fares Alyan, 47, a resident of Beit Lahia town, north of Gaza City, told Anadolu.

“My son lost hope of any improvement in the living conditions or a better future in Gaza,” he added.

Mohamed worked in the agricultural sector for more than 10 years.

“His daily wage was about 20 shekels ($5.5), which never fulfilled his daily needs,” Alyan said.

“My son decided to leave Gaza permanently in search of a better job and a better life,” the Palestinian father said.

Alyan said his son paid over $4,000 to traffickers to help him migrate from Gaza toward the Greek coast.

“He sailed aboard a rubber boat amid high risks, but he safely reached the Greek shores,” he added.

Alyan also pointed out that his nephew, wife, two children, and sister also decided to leave Gaza due to the harsh living conditions in the enclave.

According to Alyan, around 50 young Palestinians from their neighborhood had migrated from Gaza in September.

There are no official estimates of the number of Palestinians who migrated from Gaza. Local authorities, however, say that the number of migrants is at the usual annual rate.

Poverty

Economy expert Mohamed Abu Jiab said the mass exodus from Gaza has turned into a “phenomenon”.

“Demand for visas through travel agencies has been on the rise,” Abu Jiab told Anadolu.

“Entire families and youths have migrated from the territory,” he added.

Palestinian activists in Gaza shared on their social media accounts what seems to be legally binding agreements for loans to be paid once the migrant reaches Europe and starts working.

Abu Jiab cited poverty, unemployment and food insecurity as the main reasons for the mass exodus from Gaza.

“The mass migration will cause Gaza to lose its competencies at various levels,” he warned, calling for a government plan “to reduce the number of people leaving the strip.”

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, 61.6% of Gaza’s population lives in poverty.

The unemployment rate in Gaza reached about 47% by the end of 2022, according to Palestinian official figures.

Officials' denial

For their part, local authorities deny the mass exodus from Gaza, saying reports about migration aim to “mislead” the public.

“The numbers of Palestinians leaving and returning to Gaza are at their usual annual rate,” the General Authority for Crossings and Borders of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement.

According to travel data through the Rafah border crossing, 113,234 Palestinians departed Gaza since the start of this year, while 116,651 people returned to the strip.

The authority blamed the presence of only one visa office for the crowdedness of Palestinians seeking to obtain a visa to travel to Türkiye.

“The vast majority of people seeking to travel to Türkiye are humanitarian cases either for treatment, scholarships, work or visiting relatives,” the statement said.

The authority warned against circulating “wrong figures” about the number of migrants from Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi