Many Palestinians migrated to Turkiye nearly a decade ago to stay safe from Israeli forces and attacks.
However, death chased them and caught them on Monday when the deadliest earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria. Ankara is almost 940-kms away from Gaza.
About 70 Palestinians have died in the earthquakes which caused the large-scale devastation in Turkiye.
The family of the Palestinian Abdul Karim Abu Jalhoum, who died with his family on the deadly earthquake in Turkey mourn, in their home in Beit Lahia in the northern of Gaza Strip on Feb. 08, 2023. Photo by Ashraf Amra pic.twitter.com/RLSuBNUUcy
— Ashraf Amra (@amra_ashraf) February 8, 2023
According to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Abu Jalhoum, his wife Fatima, and their four children, are among 70 Palestinians who died in the earthquake in Turkiye. The overall death toll in the quake has shot beyond 21,000 in both countries _ Turkiye and Syria.
“My brother went to Türkiye to seek a better life away from wars and blockades here in Gaza,” Abu Jalhoum’s brother, Ramzy, 43, told media.
Many relatives of the deceased gathered at the family’s house in the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday to pay respects.
“We lost the family. An entire family was wiped off the civil registration record,” he said.
Before migrating to Turkiye, Abu Jalhoum was operating a taxi in Gaza to support a growing family. In 2010, he left Gaza and shifted to Türkiye, where he worked in a wood factory in Antakya. Fatima and their children joined him once he was established.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
