Palestinian Migrants Among Those Lost in Greek Shipwreck
On Wednesday, a boat carrying migrants sank about 50 miles from the Greek coastal town of Pylos. At least 80 people lost their lives in the shipwreck, including Palestinians. Reports suggest that between 400 and 750 people had packed the fishing boat, which departed from the Libyan port of Tobruk. Greek authorities said 104 survivors had been brought ashore. The past few weeks have seen a significant increase in drowning incidents involving Palestinians, leading to demands for answers from the ruling Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Phenomenon of “Death Boats”
Palestinians call these boats “death boats,” and they often carry children on journeys with no guarantee of safety. Palestinian sources who spoke to Arab News reported the testimonies of survivors who say that smugglers, looking to maximize the number of passengers on the rubber boats, allow twice the recommended number of people onboard. The boats are meant to be powered by two engines, but smugglers keep only one functional in order to save fuel. One of the passengers, with no prior experience in dealing with high winds and other dangers, is given brief training in operating the boat and determining the direction.
Organized Gangs of Human Traffickers
Ambassador Ahmad Al-Deek, a political adviser at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, told Arab News that organized gangs of human traffickers are behind this humanitarian tragedy. The smugglers transport migrants in old, rickety boats that have a capacity of 10 but are loaded with 40 to 50 passengers. All these factors contribute to their sinking. If the smuggling gangs have an argument with the passengers, they sink the boat on purpose. Most such boats depart from Turkey or Libya.
The Need for Palestinian Families to Warn Their Children
Despite appeals to Palestinian families to warn their children against falling victim to smuggling gangs, the phenomenon continues. According to the testimonies of survivors, smugglers avoid disclosing sinking incidents for several days, and passengers are sometimes harshly beaten and abused. They also face cruelty when they are intercepted by Greek security patrols who receive them on the islands they reach. “We are working day and night to limit this ongoing disaster, and we have asked the Palestinian embassies in the countries where Palestinians depart from to discourage the youths from doing that,” Al-Deek said.
The Need to Lift the Siege on Gaza
Palestinian youths, under pressure to make a living, decide to board these boats. Therefore, there is a need to lift the siege on Gaza and improve the living conditions of young people there. Hamas claims it is educating citizens in Gaza through Friday sermons in mosques and radio and television talks, urging them not to take part in these perilous trips and asking many Arab and non-Arab countries to absorb the graduates of Gaza universities in their job markets.
Economic Reasons Driving Young Men to Migrate
Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Arab News that economic reasons were driving young men in their 20s to migrate via boats, pointing to the high rate of unemployment and the lack of job opportunities among university graduates in the Gaza Strip. “The unemployment rate among youths in the Gaza Strip has reached 45 percent, and the unemployment rate among university graduates 65 percent,” Abu Saada said.
Most government jobs in Gaza are taken up by members of the Hamas movement. The PA stopped hiring university graduates from Gaza in 2007, and obtaining work permits in Israel is complex. Around 2 million people live in Gaza Strip, which has been under a comprehensive Israeli blockade since 2006.
Conclusion
The tragic loss of life among Palestinian migrants highlights the need for action to be taken to prevent further deaths. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas must work together to track these incidents and communicate with victims’ families and relevant authorities in countries where the tragedies occur. Palestinian families must be warned against falling victim to smuggling gangs, and the siege on Gaza must be lifted to improve the living conditions of young people there. The international community must also take action to address the root causes of this crisis, including high unemployment rates and lack of job opportunities among university graduates in the Gaza Strip.