It's Ruba from Gaza

Today is the 6th of December and it feels like a really difficult day even though we had a quiet night. I woke up with this urgent feeling that I want to go home, that I don’t care about anything, that I just want to be there again. This idea is not just dominating my mind but the minds of everyone around me. Even though we have had to accept whatever circumstances we have had to face until now, our standards are changing. Certain things are unacceptable. There’s only so long that you can live in a situation like this for.  I know that the parts of daily life I’m describing as a displaced person are nothing compared to the experiences of losing a family member, getting injured, losing a limb or losing your home. But the reality I’m describing is often overlooked as the impact of the conflict creeps into every aspect of life. For example, everyone has their own standards in their own house. They have their own routine that they’re not even aware of until they’re faced with a situati...

Today is the 21st of November and it’s Day 46 of the war. Since it started we have heard different types of weapons and bombs once, twice, thrice, four, five, six, ten, eleven or one hundred times a day. On some days we only hear one or two types of weapons but these have a much stronger impact than the other types which we hear more often.  In spite of this people continue to live their daily lives in Gaza. They wake up hearing the sound of bombs but they also wake up with the same thoughts that any normal person would have on their mind – things like ‘How are we going to get milk for our babies? How are we going to cook for our children? How are we going to make sure they have at least one proper meal today?’ If they manage to secure their basic needs then there is a sense of relief. This is what I want to discuss in my blog today.  Empty shelves in the supermarket in Rafah Even before discussing how we get our basic services I want to explain what I mean by basic services o...