'War does not discriminate between black and white': Afro-Palestinian family trapped in Israel's Gaza genocide

“The targeting today was near us, where around 20 people were killed. We’re exhausted.”

This message from Abdel Fattah Al-Behairi, 38, came after Israeli air strikes hit Gaza’s Al-Mawasi area, killing dozens of Palestinians just days ago.

Abdel lives in a makeshift tent in Al-Mawasi, a coastal area in Khan Yunis, with his wife and five children, one of whom is a newborn.

As soon as it rains, you have to rush quickly to protect your belongings. When there is a storm with strong winds, the tent gets blown away since we live near the seashore

he told Anadolu, describing the difficult living conditions they face, apart from the relentless Israeli attacks.

An Afro-Palestinian family that once lived in Deir Al-Balah, a city in central Gaza, they have been displaced five times since their home was bombed by the Israeli army in March 2024.

Their story is just one of hundreds of thousands, as Israel has forcibly displaced nearly 2 million people in Gaza since launching its deadly war, which has now killed or wounded almost 150,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

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Toys and sweets ‘erased from memory’

Internet problems in Gaza, caused by poor cell service and damaged infrastructure, make it difficult to reach Abdel.

When a call finally went through, he appeared with his children on the screen.

“I can honestly say that I am unable to meet any of my children’s needs,” he said.

The Palestinian father explains that food supplies are either unavailable or extremely expensive.

Fruits, vegetables and meat are almost non-existent. There are no basic necessities for a humane life

As for children’s toys and sweets, he says, “We consider them things erased from memory.”

He highlighted that humanitarian relief materials are often stolen in Gaza and that even when they reach those in need, amounts fall short of daily requirements.

This comes after the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) suspended aid deliveries through the Karm Abu Salem Crossing, the main route for aid into Gaza, after a convoy was “stolen by armed gangs” on 16 November.

UNRWA had said humanitarian operations in Gaza had become “unnecessarily impossible” due to Israeli authorities’ ongoing siege of the Territory and hurdles they have imposed, political decisions to restrict aid, lack of safety on aid routes and the targeting of local police.

Palestinian officials in Gaza have accused Israel of enabling thefts and worsening the crisis.

Abdel, a former tiler, reflects on the drastic changes in his life following the destruction of his home by the Israeli army.

“The income was excellent, and things were cheap. We used to live in a house of 210 square meters, but it was destroyed,” he said.

Now, the family has moved from their once-spacious home to a tent in Al-Mawasi, which Israel has called a supposed “safe zone”. But safety and stability are nowhere in sight.

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Thousands of displaced Palestinians have flocked to the densely populated area, seeking refuge after being directed there by Israeli evacuation orders.

Despite the label, it has faced repeated Israeli air strikes even as those dwelling there struggle to find food, water and shelter.

Abdel’s brother recently died, trapped under rubble when a dilapidated wall collapsed while he was retrieving his children’s clothes from their destroyed home.

He is now responsible for two families, including his late brother’s.

‘Marginalised in every sense of the word’

Afro-Palestinians are a minority community in Gaza, with unofficial figures placing their number at about 1 per cent of the population.

People from various parts of Africa are believed to have started arriving in Palestine in the 12th century.

According to Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian anthropologist, the arrival of Afro-Palestinians in the region was driven by multiple factors.

Some were brought “through the Arab slave trade”, he told Anadolu, adding that others arrived as farmers or after travelling for an annual Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, also known as the Hajj.

While tracking the history of this community has been “very difficult”, Qleibo said Africans have always been present in Palestine. “African tribes have spread throughout North Africa and Palestine since times immemorial.”

Over time, some of their descendants, pious pilgrims, settled in Jerusalem, particularly in the African Quarter near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, while others formed communities in Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Jericho, he added.

Like many in Palestine, Afro-Palestinians have endured decades of displacement, war and systemic inequality imposed by Israel, though their experiences are shaped by additional layers of identity and history.

Despite their historical presence and contributions to Palestinian society, the community often faces systemic disadvantages.

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“They don’t classify or stigmatise them,” Qleibo said, adding, “But they don’t embrace them either — it’s a kind of tolerance where you don’t notice the difference and the individuality.”

According to the African Community Society, an NGO based in Jerusalem, the community is considered one of the poorest in Palestinian society.

“Proof of this is that, even today, there is a high percentage of girls and boys who are forced to quit school and look for work so they can support their families. Only 1 per cent of youths in the community were able to continue their university education,” the NGO said in a statement shared with Anadolu.

Abdel, who is of Sudanese descent, spoke about his community’s historical roots and ongoing struggles in Gaza, explaining, “We are a minority, not many in number, and marginalised in every sense of the word.”

His family lived in the city of Beersheba, now in southern Israel’s Negev Desert, before they were displaced to Gaza after the Nakba, or “catastrophe” of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians faced violent displacement and dispossession of their land, property and belongings by Israelis.

“We still have relatives in Beersheba to this day. Now, we only meet once or twice a month, as the war has scattered us.”

On Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, he said the ongoing “war does not discriminate between black and white”, but notes that they have faced “verbal discrimination”.

Regarding opportunities for Afro-Palestinians in Gaza, he added, “Some of those who pursue education migrate out of the Gaza Strip.”

At first, Abdel did not plan on leaving Gaza, believing that the war would eventually end. However, as Israel’s genocide continues unabated, he, like many others, has resorted to crowdfunding platforms to raise money, hoping to somehow get his loved ones to safety and give them a semblance of a normal life.

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