Hothayfa's blog

Hothayfa: "I am starting to feel the effect now after the war is over. I learned to be patient, to help my family and neighbors. I became aware of so many things. I learned that there were things, which I thought are important but now I know they are secondary.

"Children are affected by the war. Psychologically, they are not stable. They are scared and they cry all the time. They talk about the conflict even when they play. Their dislike for Israel has increased. The problem is that what the children have been through will for sure affect their worldview when they grow up.

"The government should consider the psychological status of the people of Gaza and they must unite and represent all Palestinians."

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Hothayfa: "The situation is better. People go out and life is getting back to normal. People are repairing their homes, and those whose homes were totally damaged are staying with friends or family or staying in tents. I went out with my friends to see the destruction. Some people cannot even figure where their house was because all the buildings are damaged. Even the American school was bombarded.

"After the ceasefire we went to our home to see what happened and what needs to be fixed. The windows and doors are broken; the third and fourth floor are partially damaged. Therefore we decided to move to the first floor, and yesterday we moved back to home. I also met my friends.

"It seems like the war is over, the discourse is different. There is support for a ceasefire and the main concern is rehabilitation. Many things are going to change now. The university and the institutions I used to go to are bombarded so my daily routine will definitely change. Moreover, my ideas and thoughts have changed. Before the war, I only wanted to live a normal life and I did not pay attention to politics. Now we want our rights and we have to demand them, because we - the civilians - suffered."

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Hothayfa: "The doors and windows in our house are broken, and there are bullets in the walls. My father, brothers and I are cleaning up the house and trying to fix things because we cannot live in it without windows or doors.

"The question is: is Israel's operation over? We were not expecting the cease fire now, because we heard that the IDF will be continuing its operation. The Palestinian groups agreed to a ceasefire, but the Israeli soldiers are still present in Gaza. The Israelis probably made up the ceasefire story in order to show the international community that they have the will to end their operation. I still cannot make up my mind. This week is a trial period. We hope it remains quiet.

"We hope everything goes well; there's an improvement, and after the storm the sun rises. I just hope that after all our losses something good will come out."

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Hothayfa: "Last night was terrible; we only slept for an hour and a half or so. Some areas were bombed — we still don't know exactly were — but we know that the graveyard, the park, and downtown Gaza were hit. My dad and I went to the graveyard to check on my grandma's grave.

"I cannot tell you how I feel, because this changes every moment depending on what happens. In general, I would say I am scared, I am disturbed, and no one knows how things will unfold.

"I want the people to do something. It can be a simple gesture, but they cannot be quiet. We want to feel that someone is supporting us."

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Hothayfa: "My family and I are now staying with my grandparents; our neighbors informed us that two days ago a house close to ours was bombarded and that our windows are broken and some walls are destroyed.

"There is no safe place in Gaza; we moved in with my grandparents thinking that their neighborhood is safer, but last night we were watching a movie on my laptop and all of a sudden an adjacent building was bombarded, luckily no one had a major injury because we were sitting right under the window, but the broken glass was all over and some of us had minor injuries, and we could probably sleep for an hour or so. This is an incident that I will never forget.

"There are many changes ... buildings are destructed, people changed; all they talk about is the war, people don't laugh anymore, they are just scared, worried and they have no clue as to what might happen ..."

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Hothayfa: "Yesterday between one and four o'clock when the attacks were halted I went to my friend's home, and at 3:50 p.m. the attacks were resumed so I was stuck there until 8 p.m. when my uncle took the risk and came to pick me up. My family was very worried about me because they tried to call me but the phone lines were not working and they could not reach me.

"The house we are staying at is by the sea, and this is a very dangerous area, because throughout the night the Israelis attack Gaza from the sea. My family is alright, but some of my friends and colleagues got hurt or have relatives who got injured, and one of my colleagues died.

"It is annoying; we stay in a small place, we see the same faces, we've all changed we look sad and pale, we are all frightened and worried.

"People don't believe in justice and law anymore because all of what is happening; we all believe that we deserve to have the basic rights. My grandfather who has heart problems is very worried."

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Hothayfa: "Our house is close to many targets, we do not want to leave our home, but we are really scared, we cannot sleep, especially lately after the random bombardment. The whole family is staying in the safest room in the house, but today we moved in to my grandparents' house. When we were at home, we used to play and soothe each other; especially with my youngest brothers and sisters, but now at my grandparents' we have to bring water every two days and do such activities when we can."

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