Seven Palestinian siblings separated by conflict have reunited in Israel after more than two years apart following the loss of their parents in Gaza.

The eldest sister, 23-year-old Mais Al Gharsam, had last seen her brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip just two months prior to the outbreak of war. After leaving Gaza to reside in Israel, she endured the death of her parents and younger brother in an Israeli airstrike targeting the family home. Since then, Mais worked with legal teams to facilitate the safe passage of her remaining seven siblings from Gaza.

This month, the family reunited near Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, a key entry point from Gaza. Mais waited anxiously to greet her siblings, aged between 8 and 22, as they passed through the border to join her. The siblings then traveled together to Nazareth, the city where their mother’s extended family lives, receiving a warm welcome with embraces and shared meals.

The reunion marked the end of a fraught separation shaped by the region’s ongoing conflict. Mais, whose father was from Gaza and whose mother held Israeli citizenship, managed to secure Israeli passports for her siblings despite the complex and often restrictive conditions for movement out of Gaza.

While the family mourns those lost, their reassembly under one roof in Israel symbolizes hope amid turmoil. The siblings will now live with Mais in Nazareth as they begin rebuilding their lives following years of displacement and uncertainty.