Daijiworld Media Network – Nazareth
Nazareth, Jul 22: After months of separation and unimaginable loss caused by the Gaza conflict, eight Palestinian siblings were reunited in Israel following a prolonged legal effort that enabled the younger children to leave the war-torn enclave.
The emotional reunion took place at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where 23-year-old Mais al-Gharam welcomed her seven brothers and sisters, whom she had not seen since leaving Gaza shortly before the war.
"We never stopped being a family," Mais said, recalling the uncertainty she faced while waiting for news of her siblings amid the conflict.
The reunion followed months of legal proceedings that secured Israeli passports for her Gaza-born siblings, aged between 8 and 22, allowing them to relocate to Nazareth, where they were received by relatives.
The family's joy, however, was overshadowed by tragedy. During the war, an Israeli airstrike on their home in Nuseirat killed their parents, Murad al-Gharam and Amal Karim, along with their younger brother, Maisara.
The surviving siblings said they were forced to care for one another after the attack, taking on responsibilities far beyond their years while struggling to survive in Gaza.
According to the family, they were displaced multiple times during the conflict before returning to their home in Nuseirat, where the fatal strike occurred in July 2024.
After losing their parents, the siblings managed daily life by cooking, collecting firewood and even operating a small bakery in their neighbourhood while relying on financial assistance from relatives living in Nazareth.
Their maternal grandfather, Faraj al-Gharam, described the reunion as nothing short of a miracle, saying it felt as though his grandchildren had "come back from the grave."
The family's story began in 2002 when Murad, a resident of Gaza, married Amal, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Nazareth. The couple later settled in Gaza, where they raised their eight children.
The Gaza conflict left hundreds of Palestinian families divided across borders, with many unable to reunite because of restrictions on movement and residency.
While the siblings have now found safety together, they say the loss of their parents and brother is a grief they will carry with them as they begin rebuilding their lives.