The only known Maltese national in Gaza has spoken about his anger, pain, and relief as he hugged his friends before being evacuated from the war-torn region early Saturday morning.

After a gruelling 17-hour journey to reach Cairo, Qassam Ali told Times of Malta: “I am happy. I am sad. I am angry. I am physically and emotionally drained. I now know what it feels like to be living like a refugee.”

Ali, 65, who holds Maltese and US passports, is of Palestinian descent and was among a group of around 500 allowed out through the Rafah crossing. 

He was given the green light on the strength of his Maltese and US passports and is expected to arrive in Malta tomorrow night.

Puffing on a cigarette through a Messenger video call yesterday, Ali, a former war reporter, spoke of the way his life was once again upended because of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

People are scouring the place searching for basics like bread. They sleep on mattresses, often in the street, resigned to the fact that nothing matters anymore

Ali was happily completing his roof garden at his new house in Beit Hanoun in the north of Gaza when terror struck. A surprise attack by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7 left 1,400 people dead, sparking a war in the enclave of Gaza, which has so far killed more than 9,000 people.

As Israel vowed tough revenge, Ali was forced to move south to stay alive. As bombs levelled dozens of buildings in his city, leaving several innocent bystanders dead, Ali had no choice but to accept the fact he had lost most of his belongings and to live like a refugee at a camp in the south of Gaza.

'They've become used to the stench of death'

“I saw despair in people’s eyes, from little children to the elderly. People in Gaza are simply coming to terms with the fact that it’s the end of the road for many of them.

“They’ve become used to the stench of death. People are scouring the place searching for basics like bread. They sleep on mattresses, often in the street, resigned to the fact that nothing matters anymore.

He recalled hugging his friends at the camp in Gaza on Thursday night before setting off on the long journey to reach safe ground in Cairo.

“Gazans are incredibly adaptable people. I felt guilty leaving them behind but my friends at the camp all wanted me to go. The only thing I could do was hug them all. If it weren’t for my 13-year-old daughter Nadya (who lives in the US), I would have probably chosen to stay.”

Qassem Ali shortly before leaving Gaza.

War is familiar territory for Ali – his former house was “90 per cent” destroyed by Israeli forces in a previous conflict and has had to rebuild his life several times. He has worked as a journalist chronicling the horrors of the never-ending dispute, with stints at ABC and Associated Press, before founding the Palestinian TV company and news agency Ramattan.

Ali insists that ideologically he is completely opposed to Hamas and has been subjected to huge personal suffering because of the militant group, but stresses that subjecting 2.2 million to collective punishment is wrong.

'I have always gone back to Gaza'

Does he ever intend to go back to the walled enclave long described as an open-air prison?

“I have always gone back to Gaza, it’s almost spiritual. I keep trying to rebuild something. All that Gazans are asking for is a shred of dignity.”

As he seeks safety, Ali is contemplating his next step, possibly even taking on the mammoth task on suing Israel at the European Court of Human Rights.

“Israel destroyed two of my houses and at least three of my businesses. I’ve always had to rebuild my life. Why do I have to start all over again at my age? It’s too much.”

While thanking Franklin Aquilina, Malta’s representative to Palestine, who was among those who helped facilitate the exit from Gaza, Ali is also very conscious about the uncertainty sparked by Palestine’s new bloody chapter:

“I really have no idea where my life will go from here, but I live in hope. I have no choice.”