Muhammad Abu Dakha, a 31-year-old Palestinian, undertook a remarkable journey from Gaza to Europe, which took over a year, cost thousands of dollars, and involved ingenuity, setbacks, and a jet ski.
Fleeing the destruction from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which Gaza health authorities report has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, Abu Dakha crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border in April 2024, paying $5,000.
He initially traveled to China seeking asylum but returned to Egypt through Malaysia and Indonesia. He shared emails from August and September 2024 with Reuters, showing correspondence with the UNHCR in China.
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10 Failed Attempts to Cross
Abu Dakha proceeded to Libya, where, according to human rights organizations and the UN, many migrants face abuse and exploitation. They attempt to secure spots on boats to Europe.
Italy’s interior ministry data shows over 47,000 boat migrants have arrived this year, mainly from Libya and Tunisia. Abu Dakha, however, managed to cross under extraordinary circumstances.
After 10 unsuccessful attempts with smugglers, he bought a used Yamaha jet ski for about $5,000 from a Libyan online marketplace and spent another $1,500 on gear, including a GPS, satellite phone, and life jackets.
Joined by two other Palestinians, 27-year-old Diaa and 23-year-old Bassem, he rode the jet ski for around 12 hours, evading a Tunisian patrol boat, while towing a dinghy with supplies.
The group used ChatGPT to estimate fuel needs but ran out about 20 km (12 miles) from Lampedusa. They called for help, leading to their rescue and landing on Italy’s southernmost island on August 18.
‘Unusual Journey’
A Romanian patrol boat part of a Frontex mission rescued the three men, an EU border agency spokesperson noted, calling it “an unusual journey.”
“The trip was tough, but we felt like adventurers with strong hope and divine strength,” said Bassem, who withheld his surname.
“Their arrival was unique,” confirmed Filippo Ungaro, UNHCR Italy’s spokesperson, noting authorities recorded their entry into Italy after the jet ski trip from Libya’s al-Khoms and a rescue near Lampedusa.
Al-Khoms is about 350 km from Lampedusa in a straight line.
From Lampedusa to Germany
Their trek continued from Lampedusa. Taken by ferry to mainland Sicily, then bussed to Genoa, they escaped before reaching their destination.
An Italian interior ministry spokesperson stated they had no specific details on the trio’s movements.
After hiding for hours, Abu Dakha flew from Genoa to Brussels, then traveled by train to Cologne, and to Osnabrueck in Lower Saxony, where a relative drove him to Bramsche.
He applied for asylum and is awaiting a court date. Without a job, he resides at a local asylum seeker center.
His family is still in a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, after their home was destroyed.
“He had an internet shop and was financially stable. Everything he built collapsed,” said his father, Intesar Khouder Abu Dakha, from Gaza.
Abu Dakha hopes to gain the right to stay in Germany and bring his wife and two children, ages four and six, one of whom needs medical care due to a neurological condition.
“That’s why I risked my life on a jet ski,” he explained. “Life is meaningless without my family.”
