Ziad's blog

Ziad: "[Because of the war] I learned to be responsible and to not take anything for granted. There are things that I used to believe in and now I don’t and the other way around. I used to trust some people and now I don’t.

"Young people are affected by the war. They even play the role of Israelis and Palestinians in their games. They know what Fatah and Hamas are. They know what a sniper is. In other words, they are deprived of their childhood.

"I hope we learn our lesson from this war and understand that we have to unite."

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Ziad: "Despite the ceasefire we still hear planes. People are repairing their homes. We keep hearing bad news about people killed and injured.

"By the end of this week we'll see. There may be a longer ceasefire or another war, but for sure life will be difficult. We are dealing with so many things at the same time. We lost a lot of people and there is a massive destruction in Gaza. After all this loss, the tragedy just started."

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Ziad: "It is quieter in the area where I have been staying for the past two days, yet we can feel that people are worried and anxious. I am very sad because Sheikh Radwan graveyard was bombarded and that is where my father is buried. I don’t understand why they bombed the graveyard? What did the dead do?

"I support a cease fire. People are tired and the past few weeks were really tough, so it is the right decision.

"People who know me say that I am an optimistic person, but now it's not that I am not optimistic, it's just that I am not comfortable at all. We will have to wait and see how things go. After 23 days of war, I cannot foresee how things will be in the future, how our life will continue and such. I have many questions and I guess that in a few days these questions will be answered."

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Ziad: "The night passed peacefully, but the night before was pretty bad; the Israelis entered and left the city but they cut off the electricity again. And we still don't have water.

"The situation is really bad in Gaza. It's very miserable. We cannot live a normal life. I am happy about the protests all over the world and the posts on the Global Citizen Corps. It is really nice to know that there are people who care about us and support us … this is very encouraging. Unfortunately not having water or electricity and hearing bombs has become part of our routine ... even the increase in the number of the victims and the those injured is becoming normal."

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Ziad: "The building right next to us was bombarded, two apartments were on fire we were scared because our apartment became full of smoke and we were worried after all what we heard about the weapons the Israelis are using ... But a short while ago we got electricity.

"Right after I woke up I went to bring some water. The cease fire started at 10 a.m. today and ended at 1 p.m. so I went to a nearby pharmacy to charge my cellular phone.

"During the first days of the war we used to eat, but lately we are forgetting about food; it's not that we do not have food, we just don’t think of it anymore, for example yesterday we did not eat anything. We ran out of cooking gas so our neighbors make us coffee or tea. I heard that there is humanitarian aid but I did not see anything.

"The days are all the same, we are bored, there's continuous shelling and no where is safe..."

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Ziad: "There was a lot of bombing last night, we could not sleep. Gaza is so different, walking in the streets after being locked in the house for 13 days was a change; all the people are in the streets, shopping and walking around. It was my first time to see a television after 13 days; I haven't seen the pictures of the attacks on Gaza ever since the whole thing started. I miss everything; I miss the university, my friends, the electricity, the water..."

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Ziad: "Two nights ago, we could need sleep everything in the house was shaking from the bombing. Last night was relatively quiet, but we still don't have electricity or water, and the situation is worsening. Last night I was wondering whether I will wake up the next morning, see the sun and live another new day."

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Ziad: "My family is alright. We are tired physically and emotionally. We cannot go out of our home except for very short periods. We are cut off. But among family and friends, we are all helping each other. If one family makes bread, they share it with their neighbors. I really hope the war will end soon. I miss going to the university and walking around."

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