Well, I need to share with you some news about Gaza, my home. I haven’t heard from my family for 3 days, haven’t seen any of my siblings online anywhere, so I called (internationally since I could neither Skype or Viber). My mom said “habibti we are doing well Alhamdulliah. Don’t worry. We just didn’t have power for three days in a row, no internet, no water, nothing. It’s extremely cold and we are freezing. But we are better than others whose houses are drowning.” She then handed the phone to my dad. His voice sounded so desperate! He was repetitively saying “what could we do, dear!” Never “seen” him this depressed before!
I wanted to tell them about my good grade (got 97% on my final despite all the difficult circumstances I’ve been through) but my grade (and happiness) couldn’t be more irrelevant! When I was asked how I was doing, “I am good, mom. I have another paper to write during the break.” My parents sounded so worried “oh dear, so you won’t be having a break. Will you be alone on campus? You aren’t going to Chicago” I am like c’mon mom! Really? When did I start having this life of luxury that my parents’ biggest worry became me not having a break! When did they start feeling I no longer belong to the kind of life they live and that their suffering wasn’t mine! Why did I feel today I wasn’t one of them anymore! I felt I was completely alienated from home. From my family. From my people. I am so unhappy today. Everyone is suffering there and I am here in the US where everything is available! I couldn’t feel more guilty!
Gaza is drowning today. You will see people kayaking and canoeing not the type of fun activities the world knows. Houses are flooded by water. People are freezing there. No power. No water. No heat. No fuel. This is a catastrophe. A CATASTROPHE. I need to do something to help. I felt so helpless that I wanted to call 911, Red Cross or Amnesty International. Anyone! I want to tell the world that Gaza is living an unspeakable disaster and in a bad need for your help. I cannot be silent. You cannot be silent. Please we need to take action to stop this inhuman punishment of an entire population!
Here’s a short video to give you a sense of what’s going on there:
And before wishing you all a Merry Christmas please think of other peoples in the world who don’t have the life of luxury we do. We are so fortunate. So so fortunate!
Merry Christmas all,
Fidaa
Flooding in Gaza’s Jabaliya Refugee Camp:
Words fail.
Fidaa– I truly don’t know what to say.
Not to sound stupid, but is there a river there? Did the river overflow? Did the ocean come in? It’s just alot of rain and it does not have a channel or valley to funnel it into the ocean? Gaza is flat and the water just sits around instead of going into the ocean?
Fidaa
Isn’t it amazing that your elected government has the means to smuggle in thousands of rockets and other weapons but no supplies for the public’s health or welfare? Did it ever occur to you that they impose these conditions on you so your story and other similar propaganda can be disseminated? If that did occur to you, how severely would you be punished by your elected government for pointing that out in a news story?
This is a humanitarian disaster enormously compounded by Israel and Egypt’s coordinated siege and blockade. Among the supplies Gaza lacks needed to respond to severe weather and flooding: fuel for electricity and heating (Egypt has shut the tunnels that it was smuggled in through and the supply Israel permits to enter is woefully inadequate), pumps (Israel has blocked their importation for years), adequate housing (Israel has blocked construction materials since at least 2009, permitting only occasional imports by UNRWA for their own building, so people’s homes are built or repaired with rubble, mud, scrap).
Please bombard the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post with emails demanding they cover this situation
>> Isn’t it amazing that your elected government has the means to smuggle in …
The elected government shouldn’t have to smuggle in anything.