YaLa Poetry | ”And wondering about our persistence to live” By Mohammed M, Gaza, Palestine
I went to the market, for an emergency. Quickly, I got dressed. I don’t know why I didn’t look back at the mirror this time, As I usually do. Habitually I check myself in the mirror once and twice Before I go out. This has nothing to do with my looks. But, I am used […]
Gaza from the Inside Out by Husam, Palestine
How does life look outside of Gaza?! I have always asked myself what a young man in his twenties – exactly like me – is doing in another part of the world? How will I get through my twenties without having tried great experiences? I haven’t tried to jump from a plane, camp in nature, […]
Death Takes Those We Love by Ameera, Gaza, Palestine
Death and life are two parallel lines in the existence of a human, but death eventually meets the line of life. This story is different because it touches my soul and makes me feel like I want to scream and cry with all my energy because someone I know is dead. Death sometimes comes with […]
The Beautiful House by Jumana, Gaza, Palestine
* Trigger warning: This blog contains potentially distressing content. In the beautiful city where I live, Al-Zahra city, in the Gaza Strip, stood a beautiful house that I have walked around and watched a family live in since my childhood. The family left the home and let their guard and his family live there until […]
Photo Essay | I am part of this city, and it is part of me by Rowan, Gaza, Palestine
These are pictures of a city that is frequently mentioned on the news, often sad news, wars, siege, power and water cuts… This is my beautiful city of Gaza, part of the state of Palestine, with an area of 360 square kilometers, with a population of approximately 2 million. I am part of this city, […]
A Path to Grow, by Abd-Allah T., Gaza, Palestine
I understand how closed communities feel about their beliefs. I understand how in these communities, the narrative can be easily set by the people at the top because interaction with the different sides of the argument is minimal. I understand how someone can be attached to their beliefs as a result of being nurtured in […]
The Invincibility of Love by Aya, Palestine, Gaza
I’m afraid. There’s bombing outside, is it the fourth war in Gaza? I hate wars! I used to be brave but not anymore. You know why? Because in the 2014 war a friend of mine suffered a big loss. She has a shocking and tragic story that happened right in front of our eyes. It […]
Freedom
I don’t remember the exact day but it was on January 2009. It was a very normal and peaceful day in Tunisia but unfortunately it wasn’t the case in another place of the world (2300 kilometers away to be exact). It was the Israel-Gaza war. The Gaza strip was hit by airstrikes, unfortunately, bombs don’t […]
A light of Hope by H., Gaza, Palestine
When I recall that year and how exactly it passed by, I am not sure if I should smile, sigh, or feel sorry. The year 2012 was the start of everything for me. I graduated in 2007, and since I’ve applied and participated in various programmes that were implemented for the new graduates. Not one […]
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Life is Priceless by A, Gaza, Palestine
6 AM, on the fifteenth of January, 2009. It was a very cold morning. My family and I woke up to the terrifying noises of the Israeli bulldozers. At first, we were not totally aware of the situation. As far as we knew, the Israeli occupation had left Gaza a long time ago. However, the […]
I want you to be a man by M. Gaza, Palestine
The power was off while the dark sky was moonless, empty, except of some reconnaissance drones that I thought were bright stars in the dawn. Everything was pretty quiet, and everyone from my family inside one room of our small unpainted house was sleeping and snoring on their mattresses without blankets. The atmosphere was really […]
Truth, Dream or Fiction? by Noa Cohen, Israel
It was a weekend in 2012, when I came home to spend Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest) with my family in Haifa. At that time I was part of a one year volunteering program in which Israeli-Jews and Israeli-Bedouins worked together in educational frameworks around Be’er Sheva. My Bedouin peer was Dalila (pseudonym) – […]
Life Story by S. from Gaza, Palestine
In 2012 I traveled to Egypt with my brother and stayed in Moqtam. When I was there I learnt a new principle in life: First of all, I learnt how to deal with people from different backgrounds. For example, I made friendships with Christian girls. I loved all of them, I learnt how I could […]
God’s Gift by S., Gaza
Once upon a time, I was in Amman, Jordan waiting to receive the permit from the Israeli side to pass into Gaza after completing my Master studies abroad. I spent six days visiting the beautiful city places until I met the incredible girl called Abeer. Abeer is a Palestinian girl from Nablus who resides in […]
From the other side, by Sarah, Israel
The assignment required us to write about a moment in our life that changed or shaped our mind. I put a lot of thought into it and realized that i don’t have one moment in particular, I have many such moments, memories and experiences, that they have all not only shaped me, but also helped […]
Dueling perspectives and dual perspectives: The responsibility of journalists in the Middle East, By Eliana Rudee, Israel
In 2014, I was in Israel on a social entrepreneurship program with 35 other Americans and Israelis. We were here when Hamas kidnapped three Israeli boys and we were here when we later found their bodies. A week later, our lives were momentarily halted when we heard the wails of sirens, notifying us of incoming […]
This is Gaza by S.
GAZA,PALESTINE — At 2:35 AM I hold my phone, and stand in front of the window to took a picture of the landscape. As you see the picture is empty. The darkness covered it.
I will not say “this is Gaza”. Gaza is suffering from a terrible electricity crisis…
Behind the Gates of Death, There Is a New Life by AHMAD
GAZA, PALESTINE — The cancer that raged through the body of Eman, 45, a Palestinian lady from the Gaza Strip, was not the end of her life or her soul. It was the beginning of a new life and a new hope, a story worthy of being followed by every woman in the world…
I Want You to Be a Man by MOHAMED
GAZA, PALESTINE — The power was off while the dark sky was moonless, empty, except of some reconnaissance drones that I thought were bright stars in the dawn. Everything was pretty quiet, and everyone from my family inside one room of our small unpainted house was sleeping and snoring on their mattresses without blankets. The atmosphere was really hot, and I was listening to the radio. That was the last thing I could remember before I slept.
