The man,who did not want to be named to protect his safety in Gaza and because he works in a sensitive industry,said he had not visited the region for 12 years due to safety,but pressing family issues and relative recent calm prompted them to plan a four-week visit.
The first two weeks were carefree:they swam at the beach,gathered with family,“enjoyed warm chats we didn’t have before and walked around the city appreciating the recent touristic and modernisation boom,” the man said in an email to this masthead.
“However,on Saturday,everything changed. We tried to flee through Rafah crossing to Egypt on Sunday but did not succeed because we hadn’t registered our travel.”
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The Adelaide family tried again on Monday,and again were rebuffed.
They contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to register their details. They also contacted Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong,and their employers contacted other ministers.
However,“nothing tangible at the moment indicates that we will be able to leave Gaza,” he said.