SRINAGAR: In the bustling city of Cairo, the morning sun cast a warm glow as Lubna Nazir Shaboo and her daughter Karima prepared to continue their journey, having safely crossed the Rafah border from war-torn Gaza to Egypt. Their harrowing escape was facilitated by Indian missions in Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and Cairo.
“Amb @AjitVGupte received Mrs Lubna Nazir Shaboo, Indian national who has just arrived safely in Cairo, after being evacuated from Gaza. She and her family are in good health. Mrs Lubna expressed deep gratitude to @indembcairo, @indemtel and @ROIRamallah for their assistance,” India’s embassy in Cairo stated in a tweet on X.
As they made their way to Cairo from al-Arish, the echoes of conflict still resonated in Lubna’s mind. The sounds of bombardment, the shaking of their home, and the sudden cutoff of water and electricity on that ominous October night were etched in her memory. Fleeing to the southern part of Gaza had been a desperate move, prompted by the urgent need for safety amid the chaos, reports appearing in the media suggest.
Lubna has been desperately seeking her rescue ever since October 10, 2023. Amid the turmoil, Lubna and her family found themselves with no safe haven in the small and closed-off Gaza Strip. The gravity of the situation was exacerbated by the scarcity of exit points.
The Rafah crossing, the only exit route from Gaza, had sporadically opened in recent weeks for humanitarian supplies and limited movement of foreign nationals and wounded individuals.
A Srinagar resident, Lubna is married to a Gaza professional. They have three children, two of whom were studying in Egypt. The eldest of the three is a doctor and was working in Gaza. Her husband, Nedal Toman, however, has stayed back in Gaza.
