Gaza Diaries: Sara
Sara, 21, Rafah—To be honest, my days are long and extremely challenging as a displaced girl in the south, living with my mother and sisters. My father is in the north, and my only beloved brother has been unjustly imprisoned since March. Since there are no men with us, we take on difficult tasks and share the workload. We are living in a tent near the beach in Rafah, and we struggle with the massive amount of sand mixing with our food and clothes.
We wake up early in the morning due to the heat in the tent and the early-morning insects that bother us. In the early morning, I tidy up and clean the tent while my sick older mother, along with my sister, goes to the street to fetch the necessary water from the truck. They stand in line for long hours under the scorching sun. When they return at noon, we light the fire to cook lunch. Sometimes, we get burned due to our lack of experience. After that, I wash the dishes, fill a tray, and sit on the floor because there's no chair available to sit on or place to put the dishes. We borrow some household items, like spoons and dishes, from our neighbors in the camp because we don't own them, and they're expensive in the market.
When it's time to knead the dough, we take turns—one of us kneads while the other rolls the dough, and one of us carries it on her head to the baker. In the afternoon, we go to the sea to fetch water for laundry, carrying it ourselves for a distance of more than 200 meters. It's so tiring that my back hurts a lot. The clothes have become faded due to the saltiness of the seawater, even though we have very few clothes with us. Each person only has two sets of clothes for eight months!
We only take a shower once every two weeks because, as you know, fetching water is difficult. We try our best to save as much as we can. When it comes to food, we usually only have one meal a day without any vegetables or even fruits. Sometimes, they're just not available in the market, and other times, they're unreasonably expensive.
What bothers me the most is that there is no privacy in the tent. I know we are all girls, but sometimes one needs some privacy, and at times, one likes to be alone, away from the noise. I'm afraid of forgetting my life before October 7th. I've started to forget some memories and places I used to go with my friends. I'm afraid of adapting to this situation because I believe I deserve a better life. From another aspect, I am very sad because I was supposed to be in my third university year in 2023, but unfortunately, all my dreams have disappeared. I was very successful; I got 99% in my high school exams, and I was excelling at university.
My dream was to be a translator to convey the voice of justice to the world, but everything vanished in the blink of an eye. I want to continue my education abroad, but unfortunately, I do not have enough money. Despite this, I will remain strong and not lose hope in God first and good people second because despite everything happening, I still believe that there is good in this miserable world. I will be happy one day and achieve ALL of my dreams and my family's dream of completing my education and making them proud of me. As the legend Mahmoud Darwish said: "We are still alive, and the dream continues."
In general, during the war in Gaza, women faced many challenges that had a significant impact on their lives. During times of conflict, women and girls become targets of various forms of violence, including sexual assault, rape, and forced marriages. They face not only physical harm but also psychological and emotional trauma that can have long-lasting effects. I can't deny that there have been many cases of this type. There are girls who are subjected to rape and exploitation almost daily. There are also women who experience violence and harsh treatment from their husbands. There are underage girls who enter forbidden relationships out of ignorance and lack of guidance. Many girls stand for long hours under the scorching and harmful sun rays, selling canned goods to make a living. There are also girls who resort to begging to find their daily sustenance if their families are not present or if they are poor.
Even if the war ends, these effects will remain as scars on the foreheads of all Palestinian girls and women. As the Palestinian people’s resilience shows, they always find hope amidst pain. Despite the bombings and destruction, there have been many simple weddings filled with a mix of joy and sorrow. There was a girl who got married, and during her small wedding ceremony, they received news of her sister's husband's death. The family had to hide the news from the bride and her sister to continue their celebration. Can you imagine having a wedding and a funeral at the same time? Just imagine the immense suffering and the dilemma the parents faced. Should they rejoice over their daughter's wedding or mourn their other daughter who became a widow?