Key facts
- Wijdan Abu Matar fled Gaza with her children for medical treatment in November 2023, leaving her injured husband behind.
- Photojournalist Sami Abu Tabaq left Gaza in April 2024, separated from his fiancée Ola.
- Both families are struggling with the emotional and financial toll of separation and loss due to the ongoing conflict.
- Wijdan's husband, Hatem, remains in Gaza with limited mobility due to a leg injury.
- Sami's fiancée, Ola, is still in Gaza and is seeking educational opportunities for potential evacuation.
The ongoing war in Gaza has created profound separation for families, forcing individuals to bear immense emotional and practical burdens. Wijdan Abu Matar, 43, was forced to leave Gaza in November 2023 with her eight children for medical treatment after an Israeli strike injured her family. Her husband, Hatem, remained behind in the Nuseirat refugee camp with a serious leg injury that limits his mobility. Wijdan described feeling "completely helpless" and exhausted by the responsibility of being both mother and father to her children, while constantly worrying about her husband. She relies on donations for income, as Hatem has not received a salary for 10 months.
Photojournalist Sami Abu Tabaq, 29, was forced to leave Gaza in April 2024, leaving behind his fiancée, Ola, and family. He described his daily struggle with loneliness and guilt, unable to enjoy safety and basic necessities in Egypt while Ola remains in Gaza. Sami and Ola had planned to marry in November 2023, but their home and the house they intended to live in were destroyed. Ola has completed her nursing degree and is seeking scholarships abroad as a potential route for evacuation. Both Wijdan and Sami express deep longing for reunion and worry about their families' futures.