Jan 14, 2009
Dated: January 13, 2009
It is very horrible here. Today was the worst. There were lots of F-16s above us and white phosphorous falling from the sky.
I didn't sleep last night. The sound of shelling in the north and east kept us all awake.
Most
of the time we don't have any electricity in my house. So when the
power comes for an hour or two the whole family is busy. We charge our
mobiles, pump water, bake bread. But I have seen so many horrible
things on TV that sometimes I wish we could stay without power.
So far, my own family is okay but I feel shy to speak about my
family. I don't think like that. Everyone in Gaza is my family. We are
suffering collectively as we are being punished and forgotten
collectively, and we are dying.
It is very dangerous here and everywhere in Gaza. By 5 PM the
streets are empty. Not even one person goes out of their homes in my
area. But even in our homes, we are not safe. I swear sometimes I can
smell death around us.
It is not true to say this is a war between Hamas and Israel. I am
an eyewitness in Gaza and though you may think that Gaza is a country
and Hamas is a great and powerful army, these are lies. The Palestinian
factions do not own tanks, warplanes, or warships. They have homemade
rockets, simple weapons. They cannot do anything against Israel's great
and powerful army.
We are living under complete siege with daily killings and our
houses destroyed. Hamas and other Palestinian factions are trying to
defend Palestinians from the continuing massacres, invasions, and
airstrikes. The Israeli occupation and actions in Gaza are terrorist actions,
as are many of their actions and policies dating back to their ethnic
cleansing campaign in 1948.
But I think this, right now, is the
worst catastrophe I will see in my life.
I don't have any guns or weapons. I struggle by simply telling the
truth. Many people have asked me if there is a way to send money or
food. But what we really need is our freedom and an end to the fire.
Don't
keep silent about the Israeli massacres and Holocaust against
Palestinians. The demand for an end to this siege must be louder than
the bombs that rain down upon us.
To help MECA send more medical aid to Gaza for thousands of sick and injured people living under siege, visit www.mecaforpeace.org
.
Editor's Note: This
report was compiled from Adham's text messages and phone calls, and was
adapted for publication by staff at Middle East Children's Alliance
(MECA) due to the difficulties imposed on Gazans to communicate
freely with the outside world.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Dated: January 13, 2009
It is very horrible here. Today was the worst. There were lots of F-16s above us and white phosphorous falling from the sky.
I didn't sleep last night. The sound of shelling in the north and east kept us all awake.
Most
of the time we don't have any electricity in my house. So when the
power comes for an hour or two the whole family is busy. We charge our
mobiles, pump water, bake bread. But I have seen so many horrible
things on TV that sometimes I wish we could stay without power.
So far, my own family is okay but I feel shy to speak about my
family. I don't think like that. Everyone in Gaza is my family. We are
suffering collectively as we are being punished and forgotten
collectively, and we are dying.
It is very dangerous here and everywhere in Gaza. By 5 PM the
streets are empty. Not even one person goes out of their homes in my
area. But even in our homes, we are not safe. I swear sometimes I can
smell death around us.
It is not true to say this is a war between Hamas and Israel. I am
an eyewitness in Gaza and though you may think that Gaza is a country
and Hamas is a great and powerful army, these are lies. The Palestinian
factions do not own tanks, warplanes, or warships. They have homemade
rockets, simple weapons. They cannot do anything against Israel's great
and powerful army.
We are living under complete siege with daily killings and our
houses destroyed. Hamas and other Palestinian factions are trying to
defend Palestinians from the continuing massacres, invasions, and
airstrikes. The Israeli occupation and actions in Gaza are terrorist actions,
as are many of their actions and policies dating back to their ethnic
cleansing campaign in 1948.
But I think this, right now, is the
worst catastrophe I will see in my life.
I don't have any guns or weapons. I struggle by simply telling the
truth. Many people have asked me if there is a way to send money or
food. But what we really need is our freedom and an end to the fire.
Don't
keep silent about the Israeli massacres and Holocaust against
Palestinians. The demand for an end to this siege must be louder than
the bombs that rain down upon us.
To help MECA send more medical aid to Gaza for thousands of sick and injured people living under siege, visit www.mecaforpeace.org
.
Editor's Note: This
report was compiled from Adham's text messages and phone calls, and was
adapted for publication by staff at Middle East Children's Alliance
(MECA) due to the difficulties imposed on Gazans to communicate
freely with the outside world.
Dated: January 13, 2009
It is very horrible here. Today was the worst. There were lots of F-16s above us and white phosphorous falling from the sky.
I didn't sleep last night. The sound of shelling in the north and east kept us all awake.
Most
of the time we don't have any electricity in my house. So when the
power comes for an hour or two the whole family is busy. We charge our
mobiles, pump water, bake bread. But I have seen so many horrible
things on TV that sometimes I wish we could stay without power.
So far, my own family is okay but I feel shy to speak about my
family. I don't think like that. Everyone in Gaza is my family. We are
suffering collectively as we are being punished and forgotten
collectively, and we are dying.
It is very dangerous here and everywhere in Gaza. By 5 PM the
streets are empty. Not even one person goes out of their homes in my
area. But even in our homes, we are not safe. I swear sometimes I can
smell death around us.
It is not true to say this is a war between Hamas and Israel. I am
an eyewitness in Gaza and though you may think that Gaza is a country
and Hamas is a great and powerful army, these are lies. The Palestinian
factions do not own tanks, warplanes, or warships. They have homemade
rockets, simple weapons. They cannot do anything against Israel's great
and powerful army.
We are living under complete siege with daily killings and our
houses destroyed. Hamas and other Palestinian factions are trying to
defend Palestinians from the continuing massacres, invasions, and
airstrikes. The Israeli occupation and actions in Gaza are terrorist actions,
as are many of their actions and policies dating back to their ethnic
cleansing campaign in 1948.
But I think this, right now, is the
worst catastrophe I will see in my life.
I don't have any guns or weapons. I struggle by simply telling the
truth. Many people have asked me if there is a way to send money or
food. But what we really need is our freedom and an end to the fire.
Don't
keep silent about the Israeli massacres and Holocaust against
Palestinians. The demand for an end to this siege must be louder than
the bombs that rain down upon us.
To help MECA send more medical aid to Gaza for thousands of sick and injured people living under siege, visit www.mecaforpeace.org
.
Editor's Note: This
report was compiled from Adham's text messages and phone calls, and was
adapted for publication by staff at Middle East Children's Alliance
(MECA) due to the difficulties imposed on Gazans to communicate
freely with the outside world.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.