IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
Sadness and shock were all I could feel when I entered the hospital room of the three Wahdan children, all seriously injured by an Israeli airstrike. The Wahdan family was one of the many that fled from border areas in Gaza in search of safer shelter only to be followed by Israeli warplanes.
on August 14, 2014
The war went on for more than a month, the longest and harshest war the Palestinian people have witnessed. Innocent people were killed, houses were bombed, and people are still taking shelter at United Nations schools. For them it’s the only place where they can stay.
on August 12, 2014
"A phone call. A 12 second phone call, to be more precise. A 12 second phone call has put 10 entire families on the street. A 12 second phone call forced grandmothers and grandfathers to abandon their home of 50+ years, the home where they raised their children, and where their children raised their children."
on August 8, 2014
"Death attacks once again. It’s as though our life has become a recurring nightmare. I lost my husband and four of my children during the 2008 Israeli assault on Gaza. They shelled our house, leaving me and my four girls to collect the shattered pieces of our life. I now live in Sheja’eyeh, a neighborhood in southern Gaza that has witnessed continuous attacks and shelling since the beginning of this new assault."
on August 7, 2014
“I’m talking to you and I’m expecting to die at any moment. You can’t imagine how hard life is here now,” says 24-year-old Ala’a Hammouda from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. “Bombs are everywhere. Everyone is a target for them. Children, old people, mosques, schools. You don’t feel safe anywhere.”
on August 4, 2014
During the brief ceasefire on July 26, I traveled to Shoja'ea, a neighborhood in Gaza that was heavily bombarded by Israel a few days prior, resulting in close to 90 deaths in just one day. Dozens of houses and streets were destroyed. It looked like everything there was a target — humans, animals, and every stone.
on July 29, 2014
On July 25, the first time I left my house in 20 days since the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip began, I visited an UNRWA school full of thousands of refugees from Shoja'ea and Beit Hanoun. Families were sleeping on the ground and had nothing except the clothes they wore when they evacuated their homes.
on July 29, 2014
Isra’ had her hand on her engagement ring when she entered the U.N. shelter with seven of her family members. With unstoppable tears, she was consumed with sadness – her own and that of her siblings – and the feeling of defeat that overwhelmed her fragile parents. The family entered the shelter in the UNRWA school empty handed.
on July 28, 2014
It’s not unusual for Al-Yazji Bakery, in the heart of Gaza City, to have long lines of people stretching around as they wait to buy bread. But today, only a few were there, all watching a young man working the ovens with a bandaged eye.
on July 26, 2014