Eritreans who escaped their native country for Israel have experienced displacement once more after Hamas’s surprise attack.
About 18,000 refugees from Eritrea, East Africa, reside in Israel.
They had run from persecution and a mandatory military conscription in one of the world’s most authoritarian countries.
Following the air strike on southern Israel, Eritrean asylum seekers have told journalists that they may yet be relocating once more.
An Eritrean refugee had informed the BBC that he feels like a “new refugee” after running away from Ashkelon for the “safer” city of Netanya.
Another asylum seeker, Berhane Negassi, an Eritrean refugee rights activist living in Jerusalem, had informed the BBC that he was among the several displaced Eritreans who have been rendered homeless by the violence.
According to Negassi, Eritrean fatalities have yet to be reported, but some asylum seekers were missing.
“We are at present, working with Israeli security forces, police, army and other government institutions to confirm the whereabouts of the missing people.” Mr Negassi, who leads the Eritrean New Hope Organisation had said.
Eritreans and Sudanese had begun arriving in Israel in 2006, having traveled through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in large numbers.
Upon entering Israel, many refugees spend a significant time in a desert holding centre, waiting for their asylum requests to be approved.
In 2020, Israel granted asylum to less than 0.1% of applications.
The war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 2,300 people and counting.
