Palestinians in the Kingdom have expressed their fear and anguish over the violence and killings gripping their homeland.

Fatima, a Palestinian living in Jeddah, lost 18 members of her family on Monday when rocket fire hit their building in Gaza.

“I am in deep mourning knowing I will never see them again or attend their funerals,” said Fatima.

“Given the scale of suffering, no one is safe in the small strip of land and it is high time world leaders intervene and stop the killing of scores of innocent men, women and children.”

Saleh Al-Shehri, a Palestinian doctor, says he fears for his brother living in Gaza.

“It is unthinkable, unimaginable what you see and read in the news,” he said. “I keep calling my brother to make sure he and his family are OK.”

“Although none of them have been hurt, my brother told me there is no guarantee for safety since there has been constant bombing near their house.”

“We feel helpless watching our families in fear,” he said. “It is despicable that the international community and world organizations are failing to help the Palestinians in their hour of need.”

The parents and siblings of Mohammed Yousef, a Palestinian expat, also live in Gaza.

“My family tried to leave for Cairo as soon as the war began, but the border with Egypt is blocked. It is inhumane to restrict civilian movement in and out of the Gaza Strip and cut off food, electricity and medical aid.”

“We live in constant unease knowing our family members are on the edge of death,” he said.

Many Palestinian expats have expressed a lack of hope over a lasting cease-fire.

Several Palestinians living in the Kingdom are longtime refugees who cannot return to Palestine. Despite this, their bond with their homeland remains strong.

Reem, a Palestinian living in the Kingdom, said that her father left Palestine in 1962, but that some of her immediate family members remain in the country. “Although I have never been to Palestine, it will always be my home,” she said.