A 79-year-old Palestinian grandmother, Fatma, has been reunited with her son Shamikh Badra in Sydney after more than a decade apart. The emotional meeting took place at Sydney airport last Friday as she arrived from Gaza via Jordan and Singapore. Shamikh, unable to speak through tears, embraced his mother and kissed her forehead, describing her as a 'survivor of genocide, of loss, of loneliness' in a Facebook post.
Fatma is one of about 60 Palestinians who entered Australia last weekend, the first group from Gaza since the ceasefire began three weeks ago. She held a valid Australian visa, but her journey was arduous. Since October 2023, Shamikh had been working tirelessly to secure her safe passage out of the conflict zone. Fatma had lost 10kg amid severe shortages of food and medicine due to Israel's blockade.
Fatma's husband Khalil died in December 2023 because he could not access his regular medication. She travelled alone for the first time, relying on a taxi driver to reach the evacuation point near Karem Abu Salem. She was forced to leave behind her handmade clothes, which she had cherished. Now safe in Bankstown, she still worries about her son Ehab, whom Shamikh believes was killed in an airstrike, but Fatma hopes he is alive in an Israeli prison.
The Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke stated that 600 to 700 Palestinians with valid visas remain in Gaza, though many may have died. Getting people out is a 'nightmare' according to Rasha Abbas of Palestine Australia Relief and Action, requiring coordination with multiple countries. Shamikh says Fatma hopes to return to Gaza when peace is restored to rebuild their family home, reflecting many Palestinians' preference to stay in Gaza.
