They are not under immediate threat from Israeli bombs. But many are struggling to feed their families, educate their children, and simply rebuild the basics of normal life.
In a busy open-air cafe in Cairo’s Nasr City, dozens of recently arrived refugees gather in small groups, smoking hookahs and sharing stories about their homeland.
They try to ease the pain of longing for those who are no longer with them. They hope that the war will end soon, that they can return. But there is constant anxiety.
A traditional Palestinian song is playing from the loudspeakers – a hit by the Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf, who won the Arab Idol competition a few years ago.
“Pass through Gaza and kiss its sand. His people are brave and his people are strong.’
Among those sitting and listening is 58-year-old Abu Anas Ayyad. In a past life, he was known as the “Gravel King,” a successful businessman who supplied building materials to construction sites throughout Gaza.
He and his family – including four children – escaped. But: “Every rocket that hits a building in Gaza feels like my heart is breaking.
“I still have family and friends there,” he says.
“All this could have been avoided. But Hamas has a different opinion.”
He deplores the attack by an Iran-backed group in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the aftermath.
“Despite my love for Gaza, I will not return if Hamas remains in power,” he says. He does not want his children to be “used as pawns in a dangerous game being played by reckless leaders for the sake of Iran.”
Nearby sits Mahmoud Al Khozondr, who before the war ran his family’s famous hummus and falafel shop in Gaza. It’s an on-site establishment known for its food and celebrity clientele. The late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat was a frequent patron and was often spotted at the tables.
Mahmoud shows me pictures on his phone of his former well-kept family home. Now they live in a cramped two-room apartment. His children cannot go to school.
“It’s an unhappy life,” he says. “We lost everything at home. But we have to rise again,” he says.
“We need food for our children and help for our people who are still in Gaza.”
Living in exile in Egypt is not easy. The authorities have allowed Palestinians to stay temporarily, but do not give official residence permits. They limit access to education and other key services.
