Muhammad Abu Dakha, a 31-year-old Palestinian, risked everything to escape Gaza and reach Europe. His journey took more than a year, cost thousands of dollars and even involved a jet ski ride across the Mediterranean.
Abu Dakha shared videos, photos and audio recordings of his journey with a foreign media outlet, which also interviewed him and his relatives in Gaza. He said he fled the devastation of the nearly two-year-old Israeli genocide, which has killed over 64,000 Palestinians so far.
He first crossed the Rafah border into Egypt in April 2024, paying $5,000. From there, he went to China hoping to secure asylum, but returned to Egypt through Malaysia and Indonesia after his request was denied. He later moved to Libya where he faced the same dangers thousands of migrants encounter from traffickers and militias.
Abu Dakha said he attempted to cross the sea with smugglers 10 times, but failed. Finally, he bought a used Yamaha jet ski for $5,000 on a Libyan online marketplace and spent another $1,500 on a GPS, satellite phone and life jackets.
He set out with two other Palestinians, 27-year-old Diaa and 23-year-old Bassem. The three calculated their fuel needs with ChatGPT and rode for nearly 12 hours, chased by a Tunisian patrol boat, while towing a dinghy with extra supplies.
“We were adventurers. We had strong hope that we would arrive, and God gave us strength,” said Bassem. “That’s why I risked my life on a jet ski. Without my family, life has no meaning.”
The trio ran out of fuel about 20 kilometers short of Lampedusa but managed to call for help. A Romanian patrol boat under a Frontex mission rescued them and brought them to Italy’s southernmost island on August 18.
“The way they came was pretty unique,” said Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for UNHCR Italy, confirming that the group arrived by jet ski from the Libyan port of al-Khoms.
From Lampedusa, the journey continued. They were transferred to Sicily and then to Genoa, but Abu Dakha said they escaped from the bus before reaching their destination. He later flew from Genoa to Brussels and then traveled to Germany where a relative picked him up.
“I have worked hard to build a life, and now my only dream is to bring my family to safety,” he said.
Back in Gaza, his family remains in a tent camp in Khan Younis after their home was destroyed. Abu Dakha has now applied for asylum in Germany and is waiting for a court to review his case.