Real Story From Gaza: Two Years Passed

By Tasneem B. Iqelan

Two years passed, when 1,417 Palestinians were killed, 318 of them were children. Two years passed, when 11:25 am shocked all of us, when the police stations were attacked, when the police men were scattered dead and injured, when all them people in the streets were running extremely shocked, crying and screaming. When the mobile network almost died and everyone was trying to call his family to make sure they are still surviving. Two years passed, when many of us were forced to leave our houses to find a safe place as if there is one. Two years passed, when many of schools, universities, and hospitals were damaged, when more than eleven thousand homes were destroyed, when tens of mosques were bombed and two years passed when Gaza was raining fire with white phosphorus.

Being a survivor of war on Gaza, I must think I could have been one of those who lost a father or a mother or even both. I could have been one of those who lost their home and everything about their life was buried deep under the sand. I could have been one of those who cannot see or walk now. Actually, I could have been killed! Yes, I could have been killed by a helicopter or F16 or by an ugly white phosphorus missile. I could have been killed by a crazy warship or by a surprising firepower from an Israeli tank. See, Israel is thinking too much and bothering itself to surprise me, Israel is wondering in what way it should wish me a happy new year. But whether under bombardment from Israel or under international siege or denial of civil liberties and self determination there will be no white flag above our homes.

And being a survivor of war on Gaza I have to thank every single one of freedom fighters whether buried under the sand or still alive. I have to thank the internationals, who were in Gaza and had given the chance to leave, but they preferred to risk their lives to show the truth, and I have to thank those who believe we will never go down.