Younis stretches back and forth across the floor inside a fashionable hotel in the center of Cairo. He has had another waking night where his thoughts compete with sleep. The first bus with Norwegians has arrived. In the next sit his children. Norwegian Sama (12), Jana (10), Omar (6) and Ahmed (5) have been without their parents in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on 7 October. On the night of Thursday, they were reunited with their mother and father in Cairo, Egypt, and were among the first 51 Norwegians to leave Gaza. – I am very happy. Now I finally get to see my children for the first time in 42 days. There have been difficult days, but now it will be good, says the mother of the children, Reem. Norske Reem reunited with her four children after being separated for 42 days. Photo: Vegard Tjørhom / news Stuck in Egypt She and the children have lived in Gaza while Reem has studied at university. Her husband, Younis, remained in Norway to work. But just as the war broke out, Reem was in Cairo for a medical examination. The health service in Egypt is considerably better than in Gaza. Therefore, the extended family took responsibility for the children while she was in Egypt. It all turned into a nightmare when war broke out on 7 October. She tried to get back to her children in Gaza, but in vain. – I tried to get my children, but everything was closed, she says. Younis holds her son after the family was reunited in Cairo. Photo: Vegard Tjørhom / news – Very nice Father Younis, who has lived in Oslo while Reem and the children lived in Gaza, recently traveled to Cairo when he learned that the children would be allowed to cross the border. He says that the whole situation has been demanding. – It has been very hard and difficult. Totally chaotic. Sometimes we have called and chatted with them, and then there has been no signal for a few days. Then you don’t know anything, he says. When news meets the couple, they are nervous. Younis tries to find peace, while Reem gathers information from the Foreign Ministry’s envoy. According to the father, the children have been moved around inside Gaza up to ten times while the war has raged. Several times there have been rocket attacks against places where the children have previously stayed, the father claims. – We see on the news and TV every day that children after children are being killed, and that there are bombs everywhere. When the heart and mind are exposed to such things all the time, it becomes a disaster, says Younis. Grateful to Norway A group of Norwegians in yellow vests, and with Norwegian flags on their chests, walk towards the car park outside the hotel. Reem and Younis follow close behind. – I am so stressed, says Younis. He tries to find his composure, and rests his eyes as a large yellow bus turns in front of the hotel. The two parents quickly get back on their feet. After a lap around the bus, Younis can’t wait any longer. He enters the bus and finds his four children. The children were followed to the Egyptian border by a family friend, who was also allowed to evacuate. Younis is very happy that the children are now safe. – It is very delicious. A great feeling. It’s hard to believe, and feels like a dream. Now I’m going to hug my children and play with them, says Younis. The children have woken up after a sleepy night on the bus, and are running around the hallway at the hotel at the same time as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ team registers the family inside the emergency centre. Now there will be one night in a hotel before they start their journey back to Norway. – I thank God, Norway, the Prime Minister and the entire Norwegian people very much. Norway supports and helps Palestine. They give people opportunities, asylum and everything. Norway is simply the best, says Younis.
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Norwegian family reunited in Egypt after six weeks of war in Gaza – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
