‘I’m dead here’: Lebanese join Europe from Middle East immigrants

Tripoli, Lebanon: Ziad Hilway knew his family might die on the way. But the risk was worth it, he said, to reach the shores of Europe with his wife and three children for a fresh start, away from the daily humiliation of life in Lebanon.
The country’s economic downturn had devastated him. The currency crash meant the Lebanese pound lost more than 90 percent of its value in less than two years after working at a private security company saw the value of his salary drop from $650 a month to nearly $50 . It got to the point that the 22-year-old could no longer buy milk and diapers for her children.
But the young father’s hopes for a better future were shattered last month when the boat he was on his way to Italy broke into the Mediterranean, hours after leaving the outskirts of the Lebanese port city of Tripoli. Along with dozens of other migrants on the boat, they were taken back to shore by the Navy after a gruesome escape attempt.
For years, Lebanon has been a host to refugees, mainly from Syria, but it is now a departure point. Hundreds of Lebanese have tried to reach Europe on boats from their country’s shores this year, fueled by a devastating economic crisis that has pushed two-thirds of the population into poverty since October 2019.
It is not a route on the scale of the main sea route from Turkey to Greece used by many refugees and migrants. But it is a shocking change as Lebanese join Iraqis, Afghans, Sudanese and other Middle Eastern nationalities in leaving their homeland.
UN refugee agency spokeswoman Lisa Abu Khalid said sea departures from Lebanon started in 2020, compared to previous years. According to UNHCR data, more than 1,570 people traveled to or attempted to travel from Lebanon between January and November, with most heading to Cyprus. The majority are Syrians, but Abu Khalid said a large number of Lebanese have joined them.
“It is clear that these are desperate journeys by people who see no escape in Lebanon,” said Abu Khalid.
The country is seeing a frightening convergence of several crises, including political instability, the coronavirus pandemic and a major explosion at the capital’s main port in August last year, all of which have added to the country’s financial turmoil.
Hillway was getting more desperate every day. For months he asked relatives and friends to help him financially. One night while chatting with friends, he heard that smugglers were taking people to Europe, and some had already arrived.
He and a close friend Bilal Moussa decided to give it a try. Hilway decides to take his wife and children, while Moussa plans to go alone and apply for family reunification after settling in Europe.
They were told it would cost $4,000 for each adult and $2,000 for a child. Hilway sold his apartment and his car and borrowed some from relatives. He was still young, but the smuggler gave him a discount and took Hillway for $10,000 instead of $14,000.
“I have died here and may die on the way. But if I reach the destination, I can live a good life,” said Moussa.
Smugglers asked them to meet at a location near Tripoli’s Abu Ali River sometime before midnight on Friday, 19 November, and there would be 70 people on the boat. On location, they were put into a covered product truck and driven to Kalamoun, south of Tripoli.
There, in a deserted resort, they boarded a wooden boat with their belongings. Around midnight, as they left the shore, the smugglers began to read the names of the people on board.
There were 92 instead of 70, including about two dozen Syrian and Palestinian refugees.
They quickly got into trouble. A Lebanese Navy ship approached the boat, ordering them to return via loudspeakers. The captain ignored their call and continued west.
The naval ship surrounded them, causing waves that shook the boat and threw water in. As the ship drew closer, the tremors filled more water, causing the ship to sink. The screaming passengers spread around the boat to balance it and threw the bags into the sea to keep it afloat.
Hilway’s wife and children sat by the engine, and when the boat was flooded, thick smoke came out. They said that their 3-month-old son Karim stopped breathing and almost died.
“He lived and died before me,” he said, recalling the panic before Karim could breathe again.
“I started reciting the Shahada,” said Hilway’s wife, Ala Khodor, 22, referring to the profession of faith in Islam that Muslims recite when they are near death.
Eventually, the boat stalled, and they continued west while the navy pursued them. Looking at a screen, the captain of the boat shouted that they had left the territorial waters of Lebanon. Immediately, the Navy ship returned.
“I was feeling so happy. I’m out of Lebanon. I’ve crossed the threshold of humiliation,” Hilway said. He celebrated by hugging his wife and two daughters Rana, 3, and Jana, 2.
His relief was short-lived. Shortly before sunrise, the waterlogged engine completely broke down. Trapped in darkness and silence, frightened travelers called relatives in Lebanon to tell the military they needed help.
Hours later, the Lebanese Navy finally arrived and pulled the boat back.
“Once the boat stopped, I felt like everything got dark, I felt devastated,” Hillaway said. “When we came back I had tears in my eyes.”
Back in Tripoli, the men were separated from the women and children and interrogated for hours. The smuggler is still in custody, Hillway said.
Tripoli is the poorest city in Lebanon. Its mayor, Riyadh Yamak, said last year that several people drowned off the coast of Tripoli while trying to reach Europe.
Last year, a boat carrying migrants to Cyprus ran out of diesel and was stranded for eight days, killing at least six people. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, rescued the rest and handed them over to the Lebanese authorities after giving them first aid.
Yamak said, “It is suicide when someone takes their family by sea.”
Hilway and his wife disagree. They have already lost their apartment, their car and Hillway job. They said they would keep trying until they made it to Europe, even if it meant putting themselves and their children’s lives at risk again.
“I will take any risk to get out of here. There is nothing here, ”said Khodore.