A war of extermination

Funerals take place too frequently in Gaza.
Omar Ashtawy APA images

I am Yasmin.

I am ambitious and I love life.

I have set up my own business and done a lot of voluntary work.

I am a professional in the art of crochet.

I have trained many young women in Gaza.

I had no idea that all my dreams would dissipate.

On 7 October, I fled my house in the east of Gaza City so that I could escape Israel’s bombardment.

I was displaced more than 10 times within our city. Each time, I miraculously avoided death.

I saw corpses in front of me.

I saw blood on the sidewalks.

Many nights, I went to bed fully clothed, even wearing shoes as I feared being uprooted again or being killed.

I could not stay asleep for longer than 15 minutes.

I saw buildings burning and missiles overhead.

On a number of occasions, I was nearly hit by shrapnel.

In November, I decided to leave Gaza City and move southwards.

I went out alone, carrying all the clothes I could pack into one bag. I left my family and everything I love behind.

It was necessary to move so that I could stay alive.

Who will be killed next?

Going through the Israeli military checkpoint was one of the most difficult moments in my life.

I saw many many dead bodies during my journey.

I walked for long hours without any other means of transportation.

I arrived in Deir al-Balah, southern Gaza, alone and lived in the worst conditions. I lacked basics and the prices of food and other goods became very high.

And I heard terrible news. Israel had raided my family’s home.

The house in which I took shelter was bombed. Again, I managed to escape death.

I had to move further south. In Rafah, I lived in a tent on the sand.

Israel’s invasion of Rafah forced me to relocate.

I went to Khan Younis, also in southern Gaza. Israel had caused devastation to the city before eventually withdrawing.

The necessities of life are lacking here. Finding water is difficult.

Living in a tent as temperatures rise is indescribably horrible.

You have to search for some shade to protect yourself. Garbage piles up and there are many insects.

My mother has remained in northern Gaza, where there is a real famine.

For a few months, I was not able to make contact with her. Eventually, we were able to speak with each other.

Our communications remain intermittent. I sometimes go to Deir al-Balah as it is possible to find a good internet connection there

Many members of my extended family have been killed: my sister-in-law; my 11-year-old little nephew; my grandaunt, her children and grandchildren; my cousins; cousins of my father and their children.

My brother-in-law and my uncle have been taken into captivity by the Israeli occupation. We have no news about them.

The war of extermination is continuing. Who will be killed next?

Yasmin Hassouna is a writer in Gaza.