Citizen: Being a Gazan

And soon when Gazans are in bed trying to get some sleep, the Israeli jets start scrambling the skies. They create sonic booms and intimidate people by firing missiles at random targets. Gaza’s destroyed International Airport seems to be their prime target. It’s completely in shambles but somehow Israeli air force still uses it as a practice board.

But don’t be in this impression that their activities in the sky are harmless. They drop bombs on densely populated neighborhoods without any warning. It doesn’t matter how many civilians are in the house or around. There is no pretext for the air raids. The Israeli military spokesperson will tell you that a militant hideout was destroyed but that’s not the case. It is the hundreds of civilians who lose their lives in thousands of nighttime raids every year. The enemy calls it ‘collateral damage’…

It is not unusual on a morning to find out that some hideout in Gaza was raided and suspected collaborators working with the Zionist army were arrested by the Hamas security forces. Sometimes it is true and spies are caught. But most of the time, it is their opponents that are nabbed. Ones who resist get killed in the shootout.

The ones that are arrested seldom get a chance to free and fair trial. They have no access to a lawyer or any form of legal representation. It can be enough for the people caught under suspicion to be members of Fatah or other political rivals of Hamas and face an outright imprisonment, or in some cases, execution.

This is a matter of serious concern for the international humanitarian organizations. Palestinian law states that any execution of a Palestinian detainee should not be carried out without the approval of the Palestinian Authority’s president. In other words, it must be ratified by the Palestinian Authority (PA).  On 31 March, 2010, Amnesty International urged the de facto Hamas government in Gaza not to implement outstanding death sentences. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty and considers it contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Political detention is a crime carried out by both Fatah and Hamas in West Bank and Gaza Strip respectively. On top of these illegal acts, both the parties suppress freedom of expression and speech and do their best to silence the voices of the dissidents. To worsen the already bleak situation comes this extremist Islamic militia called Jundullah that issues threatening messages to ruling Hamas, civil societies in Gaza and humanitarian aid organizations and NGOs. Recently they threatened to sabotage a children’s summer camp run by the UNRWA in Gaza.

What they want is to spread ignorance and backwardness among the Palestinian people through their dark thoughts.

This is the moment that my family, along with other families have been waiting for. A good friend of mine is finally getting married after keeping his marital vows on hold for a long time. People across the neighborhood are happy for the new couple and throw a collective feast. Marriages are a costly affair in Gaza and it is very hard to meet the expenses on your own.

But for the people it is a matter of pride and celebration. And they have their own ways of displaying it. Some take care of the catering and hospitality of the guests while others help the bride and the groom with wedding dresses and other furnishings like new home and fixtures in it. This truly reflects the Palestinian spirit of generosity and tenderness and helps them forget their never ending woes for a while.

Kids, too, enjoy the fun, feast and festivities. For them it is the time when they put on their best clothes and display their innocence, joy and frivolity. They run from one place to the other and create such noise which is only second to fireworks. Without them, weddings will be a solemn affair, I’m afraid…

So my friends, this is a glimpse of life in Gaza. A life very similar to an oil lamp whose flame keeps on getting high and low but extinguishes only when it runs out of fuel. We, the people of Gaza, have seen the bad, worse and the ugly… something that no other people should ever see in their lives. We may be divided at this moment and time due to external designs but it is hope that unites us in this hour of despair and darkness.

We hope to be free one day, we hope to be independent and prosperous one day, we hope to re-write the definition of perseverance one day. The Zionist enemy has tried every evil weapon against us but still we exist and resist. This shall continue till we stand victorious in front of the world. Long live Palestine! Long live Resistance!