Egyptian Woman Refuses to Abandon Her Children in Gaza, Calls for Sisi’s Help
(AWP) - An Egyptian widow living with her Palestinian children in Gaza is strongly connected to the land, as she expresses her love for Palestine and calls on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to find a solution for the Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The woman, who goes by the name of Um Mahmoud, is currently living among hundreds of displaced Palestinians at an UNRWA school that has been turned into a shelter centre at al-Nuseirat camp amidst Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip since October.
Um Mahmoud said, as rain drenched the tents of the displaced people in the centre, "I am an Egyptian and I love Palestine, no matter what is said. I am one of the people whose children are Palestinian and my husband, may God rest his soul, was Palestinian. I lived in Palestine and loved the land of Palestine, and I want to live in this land. This is a beautiful land, and its people are good."
She added, "I appeal to [Egyptian President] Sisi, telling him I, your daughter, am Egyptian. I live in Gaza, and I am tired. Find a solution to the issue. We want a Palestinian state next to Israel."
Um Mahmoud continued, "We want to go home. My house has collapsed. I will set up a tent in front of it and live in it. Where will I go? I don't want to go back to Egypt. I want to live in this country. This is a homeland that is being lost.
"I am Egyptian, but I love Palestine, and I want to live in the land of Palestine. This is a land, and it has people. We want to live here. We won't leave from here. They will not be rooted in this land," Um Mahmoud concluded.