The plight of a Gazan woman living in Canada campaigning her for her husband and kids to join her has been covered by a number of outlets – with the requisite demonization of Israel. But it is only in this CBC report about her request being granted that we learn why she left Gaza to begin with:
Qunoo has said that she and her family had been the target of threats by the Hamas government in Gaza because of her work as the senior financial officer for a non-profit funded through American agency USAid.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked for the International Medical Corps in Gaza. I am guessing this had something to do with why they targeted Qunoo:
For months, Hamas had stepped up its efforts to monitor foreign NGOs operating in Gaza, including requiring them to register with the provisional government, pay a fee, and submit financial reports. Last week, Hamas suspended the Gaza operations of the International Medical Corps for refusing to submit to an on-site audit.
While this story is from 2011, and Qunoo fled almost two years ago, I am guessing it is still related.
Unlike in this Gazan refugee’s case, Qunoo does not seem to be mentioning her harrowing experience with Hamas. In fact, her Facebook wall is replete with anti-Israel propaganda. It is almost as if she cannot believe that the same people who caused her to flee Gaza would be doing evil things to others (like Israeli civilians). Perhaps this is a case of ‘battered wife syndrome.’
Another difference between the two refugee cases: the media has been all over Qunoo’s. The plight of Rewand Almobayed, the other women, has barely rated a mention. Perhaps because she has been outspoken against Hamas, it is of less interest to them.
Hat tip: Maimon
