Gaza City Diary: Safa Joudeh
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We prayed for rain, and at last rain came tonight. A heavy, tumbling shower of clear refreshing beautiful rain.
We prayed for rain hoping that it would blind the visual capacity of Israeli warplanes and gunships. We prayed for rain to combat the fires that have been rising from homes, due to the attacks.
We also prayed for rain to cleanse our street of the sewage water that has started to seep from the drains. For over a week now, waste pumps have stopped working in Gaza city because of the lack of electricity. We don't know whether we should close our windows to keep out the stench, or open them so they don't blow in during an attack.
Israel announced a 3 hour ceasefire today, in order to allow trucks of aid to enter Gaza, loaded with food and medicine. Our joy was unbound, and we quickly readied ourselves to go to shopping for necessary items and even some not so necessary ones, such as chocolate and chips.
But the ceasefire was not what was promised…close artillery fire kept us from leaving our house.
We spent the rest of the day trying to get over our disappointment, and wondering about what kind of state we’ve been reduced to. It’s a sad thing to become overjoyed at the opportunity of walking in the street and shopping for necessities. But to feel unworthy of even that, is a sad thing indeed.
Today is the 12th day of the Israeli air and ground raids on Gaza and the only change we have witnessed is the steady rise in the intensity and ferocity of the attacks.
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