Right. I’m done with the grocery shopping, but my battle is not over yet. Next thing I need to do is to carry a gas cylinder home. Yes! The old primitive gas cylinder that’s used for cooking. And I’ll be lucky if I get hold of one as there is an ongoing shortage in Gaza. Israeli companies have limited gas supplies to Gaza so the cost of cylinders shot up manifold in couple of days. Ones who cannot afford this necessity, or let’s say ‘luxury’ in case of Gaza, resort to firewood.

I mentioned about paying a high cost of life earlier? Rings some bells? Yes. Let me continue…

gaza infighting

Photo - Abid Katib/Getty Images/LIFE

On my way home and I see some trouble on the street. A little poking nose into the affair and I find that a Fatah supporter is being arrested by Hamas-controlled police force over some dispute. Ah! The same old infighting and bitter political rivalry…

Palestinians are not only frustrated, they’re fractured, too, thanks to the 6 decades of Israeli occupation and oppression. Fatah is the secular Palestinian resistance organization founded by Yasser Arafat  and other leading Palestinian leaders in 1958. It is the left-wing party that believes in both political as well as armed resistance against the Zionist occupation. Hamas, on the other hand, is an Islamist organization, which was founded by Sheikh Ahmad Yaseen during the first Intifada in 1987. Besides militant struggle, the Islamist organization also runs a large network of social and charitable organizations in Gaza.

The trouble broke out between the two parties in 2007 when Hamas won the Palestinian national elections and went on to form a government that was blocked by Fatah. Eventually, an armed conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip when supporters of both the parties locked horns resulting into bloody battles. Hamas, which has deep rooted support in Gaza, managed to oust Fatah and claim complete control of the Strip. Fatah’s power here has waned but tensions simmer every now and then.

On the national basis, every Palestinian longs for national reconciliation between the two parties and parts of the country i.e. Gaza Strip and West Bank. The divisions have caused a great harm to the Palestinian cause and has enabled the Israelis to succeed in their plan to weaken our ranks and demoralize the nation. It has also given them an open license to killing and wanton destruction.

happy meal

Photo - Abid Katib/Getty Images/LIFE

One good time during our day is undoubtedly the dinner time. Whatever we get, we eat with gratitude and thank God for providing a decent meal out of all the odds. The kids’ faces glimmer when the food is presented on the table. They tell about their day at school and all the fun they had during the morning. It is really refreshing to hear their jokes, their laughter and see smiles on their faces. It makes me feel that we are alive and there are some things in life that cannot be stolen so easily…

darknessPhoto – Tom Spender [Flickr!]

Every evening a power cut is must. All of Gaza plunges into darkness and the terrible noise of generators fills the empty night skies. Women go to the kitchen to finish off some household chores while men go out to sit in nearby cafes to drink coffee and have chit chat with friends and neighbors. The kids, in the meanwhile, try to complete their homework under a gas lamp or play games with their friends from the neighborhood. And if no one is around they go to bed early. Life comes to a standstill and there are not many things to do actually…

So why do power cuts occur in Gaza? Why the 1.5 million people in the Strip go through such misery? What is wrong with the electricity generation and distribution system? The illustration below will give you some idea:

illustration

nighttime attack

Photo - AP