Editor’s Note: This message was sent to The Palestine Chronicle from a Palestinian mother living in the Khan Younes area, in southern Gaza.

We are still fine. The ‘war front’ in our neighborhood is still somewhat quiet, aside from loud explosions near and far.

Gaza is a ghost town. It’s the Hiroshima of the twenty-first century. My daughter called me last night. She was crying in panic. She said Gaza is burning all around her. Pillars of smoke and massive fires are ignited everywhere as a result of the Israeli missiles. I asked her to calm down. But how could she?

Three wars have passed, this is by far the worst. I remember going to the hospital to work on foot back in 2014. Then, they did not target pedestrians. But now, everything that moves is a target. Homes, civilian structures, and all else are targets.

We can’t leave our home. We can’t even be present in the backyard. The door is locked. We are all waiting. We are running out of food but we are still alive. Anything can be rebuilt, except for human life. 

My son shocked us yesterday when he decided to go to Shifa hospital to donate blood. I begged him not to leave the house. I barricaded the door, I called on everyone to help so that he may stay home. But he didn’t listen. He turned his cell phone off and went running in the street. 

Luckily, he couldn’t find a single car operating between Khan Younes and Gaza City. He waited for hours and eventually came back, angry and defeated. Thank God he came back. If he did go, he might not be alive anymore, as areas adjacent to Shifa hospital were also bombed. 

I want this war to end with our heads held high and our giant resistance triumphant. I can’t bear the thought of all of this going to waste. Oh Allah, give us victory, give us freedom. 

(The Palestine Chronicle)