From Gaza To Europe On Jet Ski: Palestinian Man's Daring Escape Story
It took more than a year, several thousand dollars, ingenuity, setbacks and a jet ski: this is how Muhammad Abu Dakha, a 31-year-old Palestinian, managed to escape from Gaza to reach Europe.
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Muhammad Abu Dakha chronicled his extraordinary journey through extensive documentation of videos, photographs, and audio recordings.
Over the course of more than a year, with an investment of several thousand dollars, remarkable resourcefulness, numerous challenges, and ultimately a jet ski: this is the extraordinary escape narrative of Muhammad Abu Dakha, a 31-year-old Palestinian who managed to flee Gaza and reach European shores.
He meticulously documented his journey through multimedia evidence shared with Reuters. The news agency also conducted interviews with Abu Dakha and his travel companions upon their arrival in Italy, as well as with family members who remained in the Gaza Strip.
Escaping the widespread destruction caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has persisted for nearly two years and resulted in over 57,000 Palestinian casualties according to Gaza health authorities, Abu Dakha crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing in April 2024, paying $5,000 for passage.
A global detour
He explained that he initially traveled to China seeking asylum, but returned to Egypt through Malaysia and Indonesia when his application proved unsuccessful. Abu Dakha provided Reuters with email correspondence between himself and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representation in China dated August and September 2024.
Abu Dakha subsequently journeyed to Libya, a country where numerous human rights organizations and UN reports document tens of thousands of migrants routinely subjected to abuse and exploitation by traffickers and militias while attempting to secure transportation to Europe.
According to official statistics from Italy's interior ministry, more than 47,000 migrants have arrived by boat in Italy since the beginning of the year, predominantly departing from Libya and Tunisia. However, Abu Dakha's crossing occurred under remarkably uncommon circumstances.
After ten unsuccessful attempts to cross with smugglers, he purchased a second-hand Yamaha jet ski for approximately $5,000 through a Libyan online marketplace and invested an additional $1,500 in essential equipment, including GPS technology, a satellite phone, and life jackets.
Joined by two fellow Palestinians, 27-year-old Diaa and 23-year-old Bassem, Abu Dakha piloted the jet ski for approximately 12 hours, evading pursuit by a Tunisian patrol vessel, while simultaneously towing a small inflatable boat containing additional supplies.
The three travelers utilized ChatGPT to calculate their necessary fuel requirements, yet still exhausted their supply approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Lampedusa. They successfully called for assistance, resulting in their rescue and subsequent arrival on Italy's southernmost island on August 18.
They were rescued by a Romanian patrol boat participating in a Frontex mission, according to a spokesperson for the European Union's border agency, who characterized their situation as "an unusual occurrence."
"Our journey was incredibly challenging, but we approached it as adventurers. We maintained strong conviction that we would reach our destination, and God provided us with the necessary strength," said Bassem, who withheld his surname.
"Their method of arrival was notably unique," confirmed Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for UNHCR Italy, verifying that authorities had documented their arrival in Italy following a jet ski journey from the Libyan port of al-Khoms and subsequent rescue near Lampedusa.
In direct distance, al-Khoms lies approximately 350 kilometers from Lampedusa.
Abu Dakha initiated contact with Reuters while residing in Lampedusa's migrant reception center, after learning from a staff member that local media had reported on his unusual jet ski arrival.
From that point onward, he shared extensive materials and documentation, though Reuters could not independently verify certain elements of his account.
Continuing through Europe
From Lampedusa, their odyssey persisted. The three men were transported by ferry to mainland Sicily, then transferred toward Genoa in northwestern Italy, but managed to escape from the bus before reaching their intended destination.
A spokesperson for the Italian interior ministry stated they had no specific information regarding the trio's movements.
After concealing themselves in vegetation for several hours, Abu Dakha boarded a flight from Genoa to Brussels. He provided Reuters with a boarding pass bearing his name for a budget airline flight from Genoa to Brussels Charleroi, dated August 23.
From Brussels, he reported traveling to Germany, first by train to Cologne, then to Osnabrueck in Lower Saxony, where a relative collected him by car and transported him to the nearby town of Bramsche.
He indicates that he has submitted an asylum application and awaits court examination, with no hearing date currently scheduled. Without employment or income, he resides in a local center for asylum seekers.
Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees declined to comment on his case, citing privacy regulations.
Abu Dakha's family continues to live in a tent encampment in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, their home having been destroyed.
"He operated an internet shop, and his livelihood, thankfully, was financially comfortable in every respect. He had built everything up, and it all disintegrated," explained his father, Intesar Khouder Abu Dakha, speaking from Gaza.
Abu Dakha hopes to secure permission to remain in Germany and subsequently bring over his wife and two children, aged four and six. He mentioned that one child suffers from a neurological condition requiring specialized medical attention.
"This is why I risked my life on a jet ski," he explained. "Without my family, existence lacks purpose."