It has been 300 grueling days since the conflict in Gaza began on October 7 last year. The last 10 months have been a tumultuous journey filled with emotions, fear, and uncertainties for Palestinian expatriates in the UAE, as they witnessed their families enduring the relentless strife back home. For Reem, a resident of Dubai, these past 10 months have been a relentless struggle. Her sister's home and all their possessions were obliterated by airstrikes in Gaza.

"The house was constructed from my sister and her husband's lifetime savings," Reem recounted to Khaleej Times. "Her gold, a gift from our late mother, along with all their cherished memories, clothing, and everything else – all vanished. Now, my sister and her seven children, including two who are married with their own families, are all living in tents."

"I just want my sister and her children to survive," Reem pleaded, adding, "After this war ends, I want to see them in person, not at their graves." The news from Gaza is unbearable for Reem. "I couldn't watch the news. I’m afraid to even check my phone messages. I fear I might see my sister and her kids' names on the list of the fallen."

But Reem knew she had to be strong for her sister and family. Death overshadowed a wedding for Salma, Reem's cousin, whose three cousins had to share a home after theirs were destroyed. "One of my cousins lost her 27-year-old son," Salma shared, "His wedding was scheduled for October 30, but he died on October 25."

Despite the tragedy, the cousins chose to stay together. "If we get bombed, we would all die together; we didn't want anyone to be alone," they stated. The daily realities for Reem and Salma's families in Gaza have become unbearably grim. "Their children no longer go to school, and their homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. They just want to survive and keep their kids alive – that's the hardest thing they're going through," Salma explained.

Both Reem and Salma are providing essential financial and emotional support to their loved ones in Gaza. "I send them money when I can. They don't always receive it, but I'm doing the best I can," Salma said. Reem added that she talks to her sister and nieces and nephews every day, "to remind them that I love them and to comfort them as best I can."

Sami Salman, another Dubai resident, shared the widespread anguish among Palestinians abroad: "I try to communicate with them via the internet. Sometimes I can reach them, sometimes I can't because the internet is powered by solar panels which are not always available." Sami's grief is deep as he describes the heavy toll the conflict has taken on his family. "I lost someone," he said, adding, "Actually, there is no Palestinian who hasn't lost someone."

Sami managed to evacuate some family members from Gaza to Deir al-Balah, one of the least affected areas, but most of his family remains in the besieged territory, dependent on dwindling aid. "The aid that comes is what my family lives on. Sometimes they can't reach it because it is either stolen or they try to sell it, but they try to get by."

The lack of access to essential supplies and basic hygiene has worsened the suffering of Sami's loved ones, who rely on the kindness of neighbors. "In these long 300 days, there were 60 days my family couldn't reach the appropriate food supplies. Either they live with the help of neighbors or on canned goods. They suffer from lack of detergents and papers, to the point that they cannot clean the place they live in or themselves, meaning their most basic rights do not exist," Sami lamented.

For Ahmed Ziyad, the past 300 days have been an unimaginable ordeal, described as "an absolute nightmare, even worse than the war." Before this, he knew his family was in a war zone country but at least he wouldn’t wake up expecting to hear that another one of them had been added to the martyred list. "This is something I can never get used to or come to terms with,” he told Khaleej Times. "The trauma of the last several months has taken a devastating toll," added Ahmed, who noted his "life stopped on October 7.”

“I’m no longer able to pursue a normal life, everything seems grey with the reality we are living in and it’s not getting easier — it’s becoming even harder for all of us,” he added. Ahmed's family had a life despite the previous siege on Gaza – his uncles had a successful business and his cousins were in school – but now, they've lost everything. Consumed by grief and anxiety, Ahmed said: “I’m glued to the news, constantly reminded of the pain and suffering – 300 days, it's unimaginable, it breaks my heart every day.”