As Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza, an Islamic Relief aid worker* in the enclave reflects on the ways in which Palestinians are reacting, and trying to survive, the desperate situation.
The circumstances here in Gaza are dire, but the solidarity and compassion between people is stronger than ever. Palestinians stick together.
For example, people are supporting each other to survive, to find shelter, food and clothes. I have seen people welcome displaced strangers into their houses and share their food, water and belongings: When they evacuated Gaza city, my in-laws had nowhere to go. Unfortunately, my parent’s house, where my family and many other people are currently staying, had no more space, so I made some calls to the neighbours. Our neighbour, a retired teacher, offered the ground floor of his building which was previously used by a kindergarten.
Adapting to survive
People have also began adapting to survive. For example, when the fuel and cooking gas ran out, everyone started making wood fires. I’d never made a fire before, never even been camping, so this was a chance for me to learn.
Yes, the first attempts did not work well, and smoke blinded us, but by the end, me, my sisters, my wife, and my mum learned to use the fire to heat water and cook. In fact, we did some pizza using coal and a cooking pan. It was delicious. It was a happy day for the kids.
Standing strong in faith
My kids and all the children in the house used to spend their free time playing video games or watching cartoons. Now, they have many other activities to do. Some of them have started memorising the Qur’an. I notice they now perform their prayers on time. All the girls have clothes to pray in, which they run to grab whenever the time to pray comes. They also all recite morning and evening dua prayers. These moments are wonderful times of the day, when they all recite the dua together, asking Allah in one voice for relief and an end to this situation.
At this young age they have developed strong faith and attachment to Allah. In the evening when everyone is home, we play many games like guess the word, crosswords, and riddles.
Sharing simple hopes
Palestinians are known to be resilient, but this war has taught me the opposite. I have noticed how simple and vulnerable we are. We aspire only to simple things like a day of peace, a good meal, a cup of coffee, or just the ability to call a friend. I have waited by the internet router for its lights to go on, indicating we have a connection again. I kept asking my son and daughter to go check the lights, but most of the time they have found only 2 lights illuminated, so no connection.
Our simple hopes include reaching a ceasefire. All Palestinians are looking for signs of this and will read any small piece of news about the topic. I have seen everyone saying, “There is news that parties are making negotiations.” We all knew it would take time to materialise, but we hoped it could happen.
Just the other night there was a snippet of news that both parties had accepted a framework for a ceasefire, and I heard fireworks and celebrations in the streets. Similar celebrations took place when we first regained municipal water supplies after almost 80 days of having to buy water elsewhere. The same happiness when we found chicken, after they were unavailable for almost 2 months.
All our hopes are simple, and all our aspirations are just to live normal lives, but it looks as if this is too big a dream for Palestinians.
There are people who care
We have learned that world leaders do not act on the principles and rights they talk about – unless the victims are people they care about, or a superpower in the world. When simple people ask for simple rights, they are ignored and left alone to face their fate.
But I have also discovered there are free people who have raised their voices to defend those who are not being heard. I have noticed demonstrations all over the world, ordinary people taking to the streets, with their children, to march for a just cause.
I have seen people like you, my readers, interested in knowing the truth about what has been happening in Palestine for decades. I promise I will do all I can, for as long as I can, to tell you as much as I can about the Palestinian story. I hope I can soon write another account for you: about a time in which we are living in peace, and there is a sustainable ceasefire in place.
Please help Islamic Relief support people in desperate need in Gaza: Donate to our Palestine Emergency Appeal now.
*This blog is anonymised to protect the safety and security of our colleague and others mentioned.
Read the other blogs in this series here.
Editor’s note: This blog was submitted amid a fast-changing and deepening crisis. The information was correct as of Monday 5 February 2024.
