Voices from Gaza
The 1.8 million Palestinians who live in Gaza are losing hope. This coastal strip that they call home has been under siege for the last ten years - a decade of Israel controlling everything that comes in and out, stopping people and supplies moving freely, a decade of military incursions with Palestinians having nowhere to run.
The last major assault by Israeli forces was in 2014, when 51 days of Israeli bombardment killed more than 2,200 Palestinians. Since then, almost nothing has been reconstructed, most of the 100,000 people made homeless in the assault still displaced. Israel simply will not allow in the materials people need to re-build their homes.
#GazaLives tells the stories of Palestinians from Gaza, in their own words. Throughout the summer, we will be releasing these testimonies to mark the 2nd anniversary of this last military bombardment to remind us all that the suffering in Gaza has not ended.
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Read more testimonies from Gaza
Abdalaziz: “Of course I understood what occupation meant, and how it worked, but what I didn’t understand is, why Palestine?”
Hazem: “Israel’s siege severely impacts education in the Gaza Strip. Education requires an environment that stimulates children to innovate in different areas. However, in Gaza, most families cannot provide a decent life to their children because of their economic hardship.”
Wiaam: “We are an unarmed people: education, and the power of justice are our weapons to liberate our land.”
Abdelrahman: “This is my story, this is our story, the story of the devastation we face, the story we cannot forget.”
Haidar (pictured): “I have witnessed three huge massacres committed by apartheid Israel, almost lost my life more than once, lost very close comrades, colleagues, relatives, and students. I have lived through an indescribable, ongoing trauma, and seen horror beyond words.
Hayat: “The memories of my children’s childhood, all those happy moments; everything that belonged to me, all the hard work over a lifetime; all of this was buried under the bulldozers of the occupation, just in a few seconds.” (Abu Taher)
Anonymous: “I cannot describe the horrors I saw as people were crawling to escape and the shelling was chasing us, hitting some who were killed. If you were slow to run, death would be your certain destiny.”
Act now
Don’t miss these screenings of films from Gaza
- ‘Ambulance‘ by Mohamed Jabaly (London, 26th Aug-1st Sep)
- ‘Where Should The Birds Fly’ by Fida Qista (Richmond, 6th Oct)