Published : 01-10-2018
Palestinian refugees from Syria continue to risk their lives onboard the “death boats” to Greece, rummaging around for a momentary respite from the daily scenes of bloodshed and destruction.
AGPS has kept record of the death of dozens of refugees onboard Greece-bound ships. Several others have been arrested by Turkish coast guards.
Scores of Palestinian migrants have docked in Izmir, Mersin, and Istanbul, among other Turkish destinations, after they have received death threats by the Turkish gendarmerie.
Palestinian refugees pay from $700 to $2,000 in an attempt to reach Greece from Turkey, risking a journey fraught with much danger.
“In the first life-threatening journey, I was transferred, along with over 40 migrants, by a smuggler via a minibus to Çeşme, near Izmir, before we were crammed into an inflatable watercraft. Over 45 persons, including women and children, were onboard”, Palestinian refugee Nihad says as she harks back to the risky trip.
“We went though extremely hard moments before a Greek police boat emerged from within the heart of darkness. Young men and children started screaming and crying. A number of youths started puncturing the vessel with sharp objects. Whole families started to drown at sea. We were left with no other choice than to swim toward the Greek boat. Those who could not swim were either rescued or had their bodies lying on the bottom of the sea.”
“The entire process lasted for minutes. However, we felt that they lasted for long hours. My husband tossed my children to another migrant onboard the Greek boat. I jumped into the sea. I remember that I saw it all during those moments. I clung to the Greek boat hoping that somebody would rescue my exhausted body which went under the sea with every wave,” Nihad’s testimony proceeds.
“A young man tried to drag me toward the boat. However, my weight at that moment went twice as much my real weight. While I clung to his feet I asked him to tell my husband to take care of my child before I bid them farewell. Shortly after, two young men pulled me toward the boat and I was born anew.”
“Our tragedy did not end at this stage. We were thrown into another labyrinthine journey. Masked people started to heavily beat us and throw our bags into the sea. They took us to a remote island on rubber boats. We were told that Turkish people will take us elsewhere in the morning.”
“We kept shivering from cold weather. At daybreak, Turkish police transferred us to Turkey,” says Nihad.
“We decided to travel via a touristic ship. We had to walk for long hours to reach forests where smugglers were hiding. We were shocked as soon as we caught sight of a worn ship that can barely take a handful of persons docked in the area. We went back to Istanbul following altercations with the smugglers.”
“In the third stage of our life-threatening journey, we set sail again to Greece onboard an inflatable boat. We safely docked in a Greek island,” she states.
Activists estimate that around 4,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are taking cover in such Greek islands as Lesbos, Mytilene, Chios, Leros, and Kos, among other areas in Greece.
51 Palestinian migrants died on way to Europe via the so-called “death boats.”
Palestinian refugees from Syria continue to risk their lives onboard the “death boats” to Greece, rummaging around for a momentary respite from the daily scenes of bloodshed and destruction.
AGPS has kept record of the death of dozens of refugees onboard Greece-bound ships. Several others have been arrested by Turkish coast guards.
Scores of Palestinian migrants have docked in Izmir, Mersin, and Istanbul, among other Turkish destinations, after they have received death threats by the Turkish gendarmerie.
Palestinian refugees pay from $700 to $2,000 in an attempt to reach Greece from Turkey, risking a journey fraught with much danger.
“In the first life-threatening journey, I was transferred, along with over 40 migrants, by a smuggler via a minibus to Çeşme, near Izmir, before we were crammed into an inflatable watercraft. Over 45 persons, including women and children, were onboard”, Palestinian refugee Nihad says as she harks back to the risky trip.
“We went though extremely hard moments before a Greek police boat emerged from within the heart of darkness. Young men and children started screaming and crying. A number of youths started puncturing the vessel with sharp objects. Whole families started to drown at sea. We were left with no other choice than to swim toward the Greek boat. Those who could not swim were either rescued or had their bodies lying on the bottom of the sea.”
“The entire process lasted for minutes. However, we felt that they lasted for long hours. My husband tossed my children to another migrant onboard the Greek boat. I jumped into the sea. I remember that I saw it all during those moments. I clung to the Greek boat hoping that somebody would rescue my exhausted body which went under the sea with every wave,” Nihad’s testimony proceeds.
“A young man tried to drag me toward the boat. However, my weight at that moment went twice as much my real weight. While I clung to his feet I asked him to tell my husband to take care of my child before I bid them farewell. Shortly after, two young men pulled me toward the boat and I was born anew.”
“Our tragedy did not end at this stage. We were thrown into another labyrinthine journey. Masked people started to heavily beat us and throw our bags into the sea. They took us to a remote island on rubber boats. We were told that Turkish people will take us elsewhere in the morning.”
“We kept shivering from cold weather. At daybreak, Turkish police transferred us to Turkey,” says Nihad.
“We decided to travel via a touristic ship. We had to walk for long hours to reach forests where smugglers were hiding. We were shocked as soon as we caught sight of a worn ship that can barely take a handful of persons docked in the area. We went back to Istanbul following altercations with the smugglers.”
“In the third stage of our life-threatening journey, we set sail again to Greece onboard an inflatable boat. We safely docked in a Greek island,” she states.
Activists estimate that around 4,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are taking cover in such Greek islands as Lesbos, Mytilene, Chios, Leros, and Kos, among other areas in Greece.
51 Palestinian migrants died on way to Europe via the so-called “death boats.”
