I live in Gaza
Mahmoud Mahran Abu Dayyeh
This piece remains unedited until further notice. During the editing process, Mahmoud’s residence was bombed and Mahmoud sustained life threatening injuries, including shrapnel in his brain. He is currently in the care of his sisters and family, but can use as much support and love as possible. We thank him for his deeply resonant work and keep him in our hearts during his recovery. If you are able, please check out his GOFUND.ME
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Taqdees Mela and Kristia Vasiloff
I live in Gaza.
What does that mean?
It means that my life has always been a series of wars and continuous conflicts, and now I am living through a war that is nearing its first full year.
Some may wonder, is this the first war we have experienced? Absolutely not. Our grandparents lived through the 1948 war, known as the Nakba, which resulted in thousands of martyrs and injured and the displacement of 1.2 million Palestinians to the diaspora.
Then came the 1956 war, or what is known as the Tripartite Aggression, during which the Gaza Strip was invaded by the Israeli army in cooperation with Britain and France. Despite the lack of media documentation at that time, the stories of the survivors recount unforgettable tragedies.
Then we witnessed the 1967 war, known as the Naksa, during which Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, keeping it under control until 1994. In this war, about 500,000 Palestinians were displaced from Gaza and the West Bank, many for the second time after the Nakba.
During the First Intifada (1987-1993), Gaza witnessed repeated clashes and severe repression by the Israeli army, leading to the martyrdom of approximately 1,162 Palestinians and injuries to about 90,000.
Then came the Second Intifada (2000-2005), during which violence escalated significantly, claiming the lives of around 3,000 Palestinians and injuring about 25,000 others.
The 2008-2009 Gaza War was one of the deadliest, lasting 22 days and resulting in around 1,417 Palestinian martyrs and approximately 5,300 injuries, in addition to the displacement of about 100,000 people.
In the 2012 Gaza War, which lasted for eight days, around 174 Palestinians were martyred, and about 1,000 were injured.
The 2014 Gaza War was one of the most impactful on the Strip, resulting in approximately 2,251 Palestinian martyrs and around 11,000 injuries, with about 500,000 people displaced.
Between 2018 and 2019, the Strip witnessed several rounds of military escalation, resulting in about 260 Palestinian martyrs and approximately 2,200 injuries.
In May 2021, another war broke out, lasting 11 days and resulting in the martyrdom of around 256 Palestinians and injuries to about 2,000, with approximately 100,000 people displaced.
And now, we are living in the midst of the 2023 Gaza War, which began on October 7 and is still ongoing.
Throughout all these years, we have been subjected to various forms of oppression and violence: from grave desecration and executions to starvation and blockade, aerial and artillery bombardment, systematic destruction of infrastructure, and targeting of hospitals and schools.
Every possible means has been used to destroy our lives and our will, as if we do not deserve to live as human beings.
But despite all of that, we are here. We live and resist because life in Gaza means resilience and determination to survive despite all odds.