Dear Diary

It is strange how sometimes people can open up to each other, without even knowing each other, they are able to share all their worries and talk about issues that burden them. These kinds of discussions can take place anywhere at the bus stop, in a taxi, at the market, or in the waiting hall of a clinic or a hospital.  [More…]

It is so important that humans can have dreams. It is a blessing, particularly for the people of Gaza, where the blockade, the deteriorating economic situation, and the effects of the recent war have left residents with no chance to fulfill any of their dreams, or even their humblest plans for the future.   [More…]

Nakba ever after

Yesterday was the 61st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. Many writers have written about the Nakba, and about losing the homeland, losing national dignity, and security. But none of them have written about the frequent disappointments that the Palestinian refugees have had and held onto since then,  [More…]

When We Stop Dreaming

The life of the Palestinian refugees over the last 60 years has been unique. Unique and rich. Rich with suffering endured and rich with the capability to cope. Rich with a willingness to survive and continue, and to challenge all the circumstances. [More…]

Back to Work

The road was dreary, it was the second day after the cease fire was announced, and people started to leave their houses to see what had happened to the other places. I was in a taxi going to my work in Gaza, and the whole way there I was trying to prepare myself for what I was going to see, the destruction of houses, lands, roads and everything.  [More…]

Finally the war has ended and the children of Gaza can go back to school. What was supposed to be their mid-year vacation became their mid-year nightmare, the worst thing that could have happened: a nightmare that packed them with unforgettable images of dead faces, beloved dead faces, destroyed houses, scary moments and horrible experiences that a child cannot handle and should not in any way experience.  [More…]

They say that the war on Gaza has finished. How amazing that a war can start in a single meeting and end in another, neglecting all the pain, sorrow, fears and worries a war can leave in the souls and minds of those who suffer its woes.  [More…]

From a meaningless life to a meaningless death

The sky is still blue as I remember. I haven’t seen it since three days. I almost forgot how beautiful it looks on a sunny day in winter. I wish I could walk on the beach and enjoy some peace.  [More…]

Words stand helpless in front of the continuous sufferings of the Gazan people, a continuous journey of migration, but this time the migrations are between and within the camps of Gaza.  [More…]

Gaza under fire

The air is very heavy in Gaza, full of all the anger, grief and sadness that encompasses human understanding. The sound of the Israeli airplanes and the vibrations of its missiles make the air even heavier. On a single day, over 280 people are killed, many more injured and more yet are still missing.  This is Gaza on the first day of the Israeli air assault.  [More…]

Home Sweet Home

Home for all of us is the place where we can find peace, comfort, and love. It is where we find passion, and warmness, no matter where we are or who we are.  It is the place where we want to hide and seek peace.   [More…]

Scene at a checkpoint

It has been a long time since I wrote my last piece. Having another child is not an easy job. Parenthood is a full time job, it illuminates your life but keeps you busy at all times.  [More…]

Even though the Gaza-Jerusalem trip only takes about two hours, for me and for many other Palestinians in Gaza , it lasts a lifetime – a window suddenly opened to let in fresh air. A sensation I may never again have the chance to experience.  [More…]

I did not realize that a piece of paper is all it takes for me to get out of Gaza and enjoy a completely different world, free of concerns, where you can live normally and make the best of it all. Last week for the first time in ten years I had the chance to get out of Gaza – only for one week. But for me it was a lifetime. It changed my attitude and perspective on things, my judgment and even my reactions. I was so relaxed, as if I had nothing to complain or worry about.  [More…]

Forever refugees

On the 20th of June the world will turn their eyes to the plight of refugees, commemorating World Refugee Day, a day not only for Palestinian refugees but also for other nations whose lives are disrupted by war and injustice. However, it is a special day for Palestinians who are forever refugees, sentenced to remain dispersed around the world, barred from returning to their homeland. [More…]

When you find yourself unable to have or to use water the whole day through, when you can’t enjoy a clean glass of water and force yourself to drink it despite its smell and colour, when your son comes back home from school thirsty because there is no access to clean water in his school, when you are frightened to go to the beach because it is so polluted from dumped sewage, then you know that you are in Gaza… [More…]

Nakba for the third generation

As a third generation Palestinian, the Nakba for me is different in terms of the pain and suffering it holds. For me the Nabka is more than fleeing your homeland and losing your identity; it is, in point of fact, not having one single memory of the homeland from where your grandparents and your parents came from. It is not having anything to tell your children about the taste of your land’s fruit, the smell of its sand, the times spent with the people there. [More…]

The recent hot, dry winds made me think that summer was coming fast this year. I started thinking of things like summer clothes for the kids, the joys of showering in cool water and sitting on the beach with the children, playing with the sand. But this lovely image of Gaza is not the whole picture.  [More…]

Have you ever lived knowing this moment might be your last? Have you ever lived wondering if you will see another sunrise or the faces of your children again?   [More…]

It was such a quiet evening; my kids were sleeping after a long day at school and I had just gone into the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee. Suddenly, I heard a huge explosion and the sound of broken glass. I was terrified. When a missile from an F-16 hits a target near you, everything shakes with the impact and the noise - not only the buildings and the walls, but you yourself are shaken to the core.  [More…]

I’m writing from Gaza, but it’s not the Gaza I knew and loved. People today have lost the sparkle in their eyes because they’ve lost their faith in life. For me, as a mother, it is very painful to see this young generation - the driving force in building a strong society for the future - living so aimlessly. I’ve never felt as scared as I feel today when I imagine the future that awaits my children and others their age.  [More…]

I’m pregnant. That’s the happiest news a woman can get…in normal circumstances. In Gaza, the news that you’re pregnant comes with all the fears, worries and anxieties you can imagine.  [More…]

No expectations

All around the world there are people, and organizations, who believe in human rights. Some fight to their last breath to protect these rights. I ask myself if we in Gaza are included in the group of "human beings", or if we are excluded from the ranks of those who should enjoy such rights? Today the beliefs and values I developed in my childhood have disintegrated; I have no choice now but to believe that the Palestinians of Gaza were created to suffer.  [More…]

I have to admit I’m addicted to apples. Ever since I discovered that eating an apple a day keeps you healthy and your teeth in good condition, I’ve been doing my best to develop this habit. The thing is, since Hamas took over Gaza last June, we’ve been under siege. For months on end, traders were unable to bring fruit into the Strip. Now, the cost of fruit is so high that most families simply can’t afford to buy it and children are forgetting what an apple or a banana tastes like.  [More…]

Two complete days without electricity or water. My life is paralysed. My kids are bored. I’ve run out of ideas for how to make them have fun. When there’s no electricity and only candlelight, you have to be creative to keep children busy; you have to be patient, telling them stories, encouraging them to play with the shadows cast by the candles.  [More…]