Türkiye Announces ‘Voluntary’ Return of Over 500,000 Syrian Refugees

Syrian migrant Mohammad Dima with his children in front of their shelter in Ulus district, the old part of the Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP)
Syrian migrant Mohammad Dima with his children in front of their shelter in Ulus district, the old part of the Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP)
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Türkiye Announces ‘Voluntary’ Return of Over 500,000 Syrian Refugees

Syrian migrant Mohammad Dima with his children in front of their shelter in Ulus district, the old part of the Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP)
Syrian migrant Mohammad Dima with his children in front of their shelter in Ulus district, the old part of the Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP)

Türkiye’s deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli refuted on Monday reports about the compulsory deportation of Syrian refugees after being forced to sign voluntary return forms.

He affirmed that his country seeks to provide a safe environment for their return in the areas it is clearing in northern Syria.

Catakli announced that a total of 531,326 Syrians have so far returned to the safe zones established by Ankara in northern Syria, adding that there are currently 3,611,143 Syrians in Türkiye.

He affirmed that as is the situation in other countries, Türkiye is also affected by migrants, noting that Turkish security services are making strenuous efforts to prevent illegal migration.

The number of complaints from Syrians residing in Türkiye and human rights organizations has recently increased, citing “an escalation of forced deportations of young people, some of whom are studying in Turkish universities and others who hold temporary protection cards,” after they were forced to sign voluntary return forms.

Many Syrians said their situation worsened in Türkiye after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in early May a plan to encourage one million Syrian refugees to return to their country by building them housing and local infrastructure there.

Some said that the pressure of the Turkish opposition, in light of preparation for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, prompted Erdogan's government to expedite the deportation of Syrians.

Türkiye has rejected allegations of arbitrary detention and deportation of dozens of Syrians to their country during the past months.

The Presidency of Migration Management described a recent report by Human Rights Watch, in which it accused Turkish authorities of arresting and deporting Syrian refugees arbitrarily, as “scandalous and far from reality.”

It affirmed that Syrians are signing the voluntary return form in the presence of a witness, and that they are directed to the way out towards their country.

It also indicated in a statement that over 500,000 Syrian refugees have returned “voluntarily” to areas in northern Syria since 2017 and accused the human rights organization of ignoring international praise for Türkiye’s “exemplary” policy adopted regarding refugees.



Palestinians Build New Lives in Cairo's 'Little Gaza'

The Hay al-Rimal restaurant in Cairo's 'Little Gaza' is named for the owner's former Gaza City neighborhood, now devastated by Israeli bombing. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP
The Hay al-Rimal restaurant in Cairo's 'Little Gaza' is named for the owner's former Gaza City neighborhood, now devastated by Israeli bombing. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP
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Palestinians Build New Lives in Cairo's 'Little Gaza'

The Hay al-Rimal restaurant in Cairo's 'Little Gaza' is named for the owner's former Gaza City neighborhood, now devastated by Israeli bombing. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP
The Hay al-Rimal restaurant in Cairo's 'Little Gaza' is named for the owner's former Gaza City neighborhood, now devastated by Israeli bombing. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP

Palestinian Bassem Abu Aoun serves Gaza-style turkey shawarma at his restaurant in an eastern Cairo neighborhood, where a growing number of businesses opened by those fleeing war have many dubbing the area "Little Gaza".
"It was a big gamble," said the 56-year-old about opening his restaurant, Hay al-Rimal, named after his neighborhood in Gaza City, now devastated by Israeli bombardment.
"I could live for a year on the money I had, or open a business and leave the rest to fate," he said.
So less than four months after fleeing with his family to neighboring Egypt from the besieged Palestinian territory, he opened his eatery in Cairo's Nasr City neighborhood, AFP said.
The establishment is one of the many cafes, falafel joints, shawarma spots and sweets shops being started by newly arriving Palestinian entrepreneurs in the area -- despite only being granted temporary stays by Egypt.
These spaces have become a refuge for the traumatized Gazan community in Cairo, offering a livelihood to business owners, many of whom lost everything in the war.
"Even if the war stops now in Gaza, it would take me at least two or three years to get my life back on track," Abu Aoun said.
'Wiped out'
"Everything has been wiped out there," he continued.
His patrons are mainly fellow Palestinians, chatting in their distinct Gazan dialect as they devour sandwiches that remind them of home.
On a wall next to his shop was a mural of intertwining Egyptian and Palestinian flags.
"I have a responsibility to my family and children who are in university," said the restaurateur, whose two eateries in Gaza have now been completely destroyed.
Abu Aoun and his family are among more than 120,000 Palestinians who arrived in Egypt between November last year and May, according to Palestinian officials in Egypt.
They crossed through the Rafah border crossing, Gaza's only exit point to the outside world until Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side in early May and closed it ever since.
Although Egypt insists it won't do Israel's bidding by allowing permanent refugee camps on its territory, it had allowed in medical evacuees, dual passport holders and others who managed to escape.
Many drained their life savings to escape, paying thousands of dollars a head to the private Egyptian travel agency Hala, the only company coordinating Gaza evacuations.
War broke out in Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Hamas's surprise attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 43,374 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the UN considers reliable.
'Gaza's spirit'
Opening the restaurant was not an easy decision for Abu Aoun, but he says he's glad he did it.
"I'll open a second branch and expand," he said with a smile, while watching a family from Central Asia being served a traditional Gazan salad.
Nearby is Kazem, a branch of a decades-old, much-loved Gaza establishment serving iced dessert drinks.
Its Palestinian owner, Kanaan Kazem, opened the branch in September after settling in Cairo.
The shop offers ice cream on top of a drink sprinkled with pistachios, a Gazan-style treat known as "bouza w barad", which has become a fast favorite among the Egyptian patrons filling the shop.
"There's a certain fear and hesitation about opening a business in a place where people don't know you," said Kazem, 66.
But "if we're destined never to return, we must adapt to this new reality and start a new life", he said, standing alongside his sons.
Kazem hopes to return to Gaza, but his son Nader, who manages the shop, has decided to stay in Egypt.
"There are more opportunities, safety and stability here, and it's a large market," said Nader, a father of two.
Gazan patron Bashar Mohammed, 25, takes comfort in the flourishing Palestinian businesses.
"Little Gaza reminds me of Gaza's spirit and beauty and makes me feel like I'm really in Gaza," he said.
After more than a year of war, Gaza has become uninhabitable due to extensive destruction and damage to infrastructure, according to the United Nations.
"It'd be hard to go back to Gaza. There's no life left there," he said, taking a deep breath.
"I have to build a new life here."