My name is Fatma, and I’m the mother of three boys — aged 13, 11, and 5.
I was born in Khan Younis, Palestine, in 1983.
In 2016, I came to Belgium through family reunification, together with my two eldest sons. My youngest was born here.
I tried to integrate into society, but it wasn’t always easy.
I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing in Abu Dhabi, but my diploma was not initially recognized in Belgium. Despite having a great deal of experience as a nurse, I wasn’t allowed to work in my profession here.
So, I decided to continue my studies and completed a Master's degree in Business Management at Ghent University. In the meantime, my nursing degree has been officially recognized, and I am now able to work as a nurse.
When I first arrived in Belgium, I felt a lot of homesickness. I missed my family and felt very alone. Thanks to my volunteer work at De Olijfboom (The Olive Tree), I met many people and was able to build a network. Now, I feel at home in Ghent. I’ve been to many cities in Belgium, but nowhere feels like home the way Ghent does. I also have many friends here whom I can rely on especially during this difficult time.
Both of my parents are from Palestine. Our family originally came from a town in the south of Palestine, but during the Nakba in 1948, they were forced to flee and relocated to Gaza
After 1976, my father went to Egypt to study engineering. He also worked several times in Algeria, and eventually was hired in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
I was born in Khan Younis, Gaza, but I grew up in Abu Dhabi. My father always told us: “I may not be able to leave you money or land, but I can give you a good upbringing and a solid education.” And he did. I have one sister and seven brothers, and we all had the opportunity to study in Abu Dhabi. Now, we’re all spread out in different countries around the world.
Even though I didn’t grow up in Gaza, I’ve always felt a deep connection to it. My aunts, uncles, and cousins live there, and we regularly visited them.
In October 2023, my parents were visiting family in Gaza.
Niemand kon vermoeden dat dit zou gebeuren. Ze kwamen gewoon mijn tante, de moeder van mijn zus, bezoeken die borstkanker heeft.
No one could have predicted what would happen. They were simply visiting my aunt — my sister’s mother — who has breast cancer.
I tried everything to get them to safety. I wrote letters to ministers, to the Belgian embassies in Jerusalem and Egypt — even to the King. But no one could help, because my parents don’t hold Belgian citizenship. My brother does, but even he was stuck in Gaza for a very long time.
The constant fear and anxiety over my parents' lives was mentally overwhelming. I could no longer work. On top of that, my parents both have medical issues. My father has heart disease and diabetes, and my mother also has diabetes. Medical facilities in Gaza were constantly under attack, and medicine was extremely scarce.
But there was little we could do. My parents were trapped in Gaza until we were able to raise enough money to evacuate them to Egypt. The first attempt failed. We paid, but they weren’t evacuated.
Alhamdulillah, they are now safe.
Shortly afterward, the border crossing was closed.