As I traveled back to Gaza through Egypt for the first visit in 15 years, and complained about the endless humiliations, other Palestinians insinuated that I had lost my Palestinian stamina! As if you qualify as a true Palestinian only if you’re crushed at every corner. But it didn’t take me long after the Suez canal to switch back to the Palestinian mindset: a high level of fight-or-flight that I thought no longer existed. Disturbingly, it was comforting to know ‘you still had it.’

In the report published on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said that it investigated three Israeli strikes that killed 62 Palestinian civilians “where there were no evident military targets in the vicinity,” in some cases, killing entire families in one airstrike.

Neuroscientists say memories endure when there is a strong emotion attached to it. After witnessing 264 savage hours of the carpet-bombing of Gaza, it seems impossible to break free from this brain-structured prison.

The Israeli government knows that if Jewish settlers succeed in evicting Palestinians in Jerusalem, the country could lose the Democratic Party. “You know what scares them most? The position of the Democratic members of Congress and the Democratic Party. They’re scared of the response. They’re very apprehensive of losing the younger generation, the Democratic Party and the Biden administration,” says Daniel Seidemann.

Palestinians in Gaza who tested positive for COVID-19 during the recent escalation with Israel struggled to care for their health and their families, amid both airstrikes and overwhelmed hospitals.

Over 16,000 housing units were damaged during the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, and 1,800 units were completely destroyed. While that destruction is immense, what those numbers don’t capture is what else was lost in those places — the irreplaceable photos, keepsakes, and possessions and that made each a home.

Noura Selmi recounts the nightmares that have plagued her since the fighting ended in Gaza. “The ceasefire was declared and life is trying to be normal again,” Selmi writes. “Unfortunately, the rockets are still following me in my sleep.”

Adalah Justice Project’s Sumaya Awad talks with Jehad Abusalim about Gaza, the Palestinian Authority, and the US movement for Palestine in the wake of the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza. “It is crucial to understand Gaza and its experience in the context of the Nakba and its unfolding and continuation since 1948. This has to be the starting point if people want to be serious and invested in understanding the current situation in Gaza,” Abusalim explains.

After Palestinians in Jenin Refugee Camp protested Israeli onslaught on Gaza in May, Israeli military raided the Al-Tafawk Children’s Centre and wrecked it. “Their pretext was that they were looking for arms but of course, they found none.” One soldier tore up children’s books, saying that Palestinian children didn’t need them, which reminds author Tony Greenstein of attitudes of Nazis towards Jewish children.

Palestinian support for “armed resistance and intifada” surged from 43 to 60 percent in the last two months, according to lead Palestinian pollster, reflecting overwhelming belief that Gaza militants defeated Israel in the May conflict by stopping expulsions in Jerusalem.