They say a first love is irreplaceable, but what if your first love is a homeland that no longer exists?
The residents of crowded tent encampments in Gaza now suffer from an infestation of rodents that bite people in their sleep. This week, a one-month-old baby was mauled in the cheek, leaving him in “critical condition,” doctors say.
An 18-month-old toddler in Gaza was returned by the Israeli army to his family with burn marks and puncture wounds on his legs. Doctors say the wounds are clearly the result of torture while the child was detained with his father.
Israel’s tightened restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have led to shortages of basic necessities and an astronomical rise in prices, raising fears of a return to famine.
Once Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran, Israel closed the crossings into Gaza and cut off all aid. Palestinians in the Strip now fear a return to famine amid food shortages and soaring prices.
The genocide was not only the physical destruction of Gazans’ bodies and the annihilation of families — it also erased memories, traditions, and everything that reminds us of what we were.
Palestinians returning to Gaza from Egypt report being beaten, tortured, and humiliated by Israeli border agents and pressured to collaborate with Israel as informants.
To write about Gaza in exile, you need to long for it.
The first Palestinians returned to Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing this week, after being stuck outside Gaza for two years or more. They described grueling interrogations, intimidation, and threats by Israeli soldiers at the crossing.
Bacterial meningitis is spreading among children in Gaza, including those who are vaccinated. Officials say conditions in Gaza’s displacement camps, widespread malnutrition, and Israeli bans on the entry of medicines are increasing the deadly risk.