ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 65-year-old Kurdish man who has lived in the Gaza Strip for nearly three decades is appealing to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for help relocating to the Kurdistan Region, where most of his family now lives. He tells Rudaw he lost everything in the latest conflict and now lives alone under dire conditions.
Jaafar Khalil Golan is originally from Derik (al-Malikiyah) in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) Hasaka province. He has been living in Gaza since 1995.
Golan said his father was among the companions of the late Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani (1903–1979), highlighting his deep attachment to the Kurdish cause and “great love for the homeland and the [Kurdish] Peshmerga.”
He told Rudaw, “When I was a child, my family and I left our hometown of Derik and went to Duhok province” in northern Kurdistan. The family was later forced to settle in Cham Sharaf, near Derik, in 1971.
After years of displacement across the region, Golan contacted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon to learn how to use arms, with hope of “returning to Kurdistan when the opportunity is available.” He was then transferred to Gaza in the mid-1990s, where he served as an officer in the Palestinian Authority until retiring.
Of note, the PLO, established in the 1960s, is the main representative of the Palestinian national movement and now serves as the parent body of the Palestinian Authority.
Golan told Rudaw his situation deteriorated drastically during the latest Gaza war.
“My house was completely destroyed in the first week of the war. I have been displaced between Rafah and Nuseirat and have lost a large number of my family members,” he said.
The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive killed around 70,112 Palestinians and injured 170,986 others, Gaza’s health ministry reported Monday.
Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire in mid-October, ending the deadliest war Gaza has seen in its history that lasted slightly over two years. Famine also spread across the enclave during the conflict.
Golan told Rudaw that he is struggling to access food, medicine, and water, describing himself as a person with special needs. “Families in Gaza support each other because they are relatives, but I am alone with no one to help me,” he said.
He further stated that during his stay he acted as an “ambassador of Kurds” in Gaza, adding, he was “proud that during my stay I presented a positive image of Kurds.”
Most of his relatives now live in Duhok, where he hopes to reunite with them soon. “I think of my country and relatives. I want to speak Kurdish and celebrate [the Kurdish new year] Newroz with my brothers and sisters,” he said.
The 65-year-old added, “I have been living in exile for 40 years. I hope to spend the rest of my life with loved ones in Kurdistan and be laid to rest there.”
He appealed to the KRG to facilitate his safe return.
Gashaw Khalid contributed to this report.