Alaa Alassar is an engineering graduate who was about to embark on a PhD when the bombing of Gaza began. Now she is living in a plastic tent in Al-Mawasi, trying to comfort her twin daughters, Ella and Ellen. Her husband Ahmed is in another camp with their ten-year-old son Musa, and they have not seen each other for three months. They are among tens of thousands of Palestinian families whose lives have been shattered by the Israeli bombardment. Now unable to work or study, Alaa is focused on trying to raise the money that will enable them to cross into Egypt and find safety.
Struggling to survive in Rafah
It’s difficult to describe the severity of conditions in the Rafah area. Jonathan Dumont, head of emergency communications at the World Food Programme, has spoken of “a total breakdown of society”, with no infrastructure remaining, and has warned of impending famine. Amnesty International is among several organisations which have accused Israel of genocide, not just because of the ongoing bombing but because of the reported blocking of attempted aid deliveries including food and medical supplies. The Red Cross reports that a million people have been displaced, most of them multiple times.
Across the south of the Gaza Strip, heavy winter storms have soaked the camps, with water running through tents, making it very difficult for people to keep warm. Alaa explains that once families have gone south in search of refuge, they are being prevented from returning north. Her home and university have already been destroyed, but this restriction means that she has no hope of retrieving any surviving possessions or reconnecting with friends and family members there. Her brother-in-law and cousin have already been killed. At this stage, it is difficult to find a Gazan family that has not lost somebody.
The impact on children
Both of Alaa’s daughters have been affected by chronic illness since birth, and in present circumstances they are no longer able to receive help, which has led to some frightening experiences. Musa, meanwhile, got shrapnel in his foot and has contracted hepatitis, so is dependent on medical support. All three would still be able to prosper under normal conditions. Ahmed had a good job in a factory and Alaa was excited about developing her career in urban planning. She still hopes that she will be able to make a contribution to society in that way, but at present it’s difficult for her to imagine a positive future or to find ways of easing the stress on her daughters so that they can play.
She still remembers the most frightening moment as the point at which Israeli soldiers ordered her family to leave their home. Phosphorus bombs had fallen, burning their eyes, and the girls were crying, but the soldiers insisted that nobody was allowed to make a sound. They were not allowed to take anything with them beyond their documents, and ended up having to relocate multiple times in search of safety. The girls struggled to sleep and stopped eating. Now it has become difficult to find enough food, and they are getting by on bread and dirty water as they wait in the hope that they will be able to escape through the Rafah Crossing.
Waiting at the border
The border is a dangerous place, with heavy shelling taking place in the area. In recent weeks, Egypt has been pushing for a cease-fire which would allow aid into Gaza and provide at least temporary relief for some of those affected, though it is difficult to see how the situation could be improved in the long term without a permanent end to Israeli attacks. Some Palestinians are working hard to repair buildings and even to start gardens and grow food amid the ruins, but no area can be guaranteed to remain safe. Meanwhile, politicians on the right of Israel’s governing Likud party have spoken openly about their hopes of building settlements in Gaza, permanently depriving surviving Palestinians of the land where they lived.
Palestine is no stranger to war, and this is not the first conflict that Alaa has lived through, but she describes it as by far the worst. If it can be brought to an end, her particular skills could be valuable in the effort to rebuild. Just now, that seems a long way away.If you would like to help Alaa, you can make a donation here.
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