Reuben
30th March 2004, 19:00
comrades, below are some letters from palestine, a reminder of the misery being created by the occupation everyday
Hello
I hope you all doing fine, iam still alive in gaza. I wanted to forward to you these letters that were sent to me from someone who works with these children from Brazil Camp in Rafah. The situation there is as bad as you read - like the house demolitions are continuing, the killings and the indiscriminate shootings occur on a daily basis and the world is too bored to take any more notice. They have heard it so many times that they no longer care.
Please feel free to pass on or use these letters as you wish.
Best regards,
Wael Zahab
Essays from children who live in Brazil Camp in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Aya Al-Sha'er (13 yrs old)
At 10 o'clock, all of my family was asleep. I woke up very afraid. This day was a terrible day, a dark day. Even if I tried to describe the pain of that day, I wouldn't be able to. We felt very afraid. The bulldozers came without warning. They destroyed two rooms and a bathroom. All of my family shouted in front of the bulldozer, but the bulldozer kept going on with its destruction. My father said to the bulldozer, "Please give me a little time to take our furniture out of the house", but the bulldozer didn't agree to this and started shooting at my father. He was shot in the back and in the leg. Thank God my father is okay now. Now we are staying at my married sister's house. I still can't believe this horrible thing happened. It is like a dream, even though the journalists have been writing a lot about what happened in the newspapers. We children can't do anything. Our Authority can't do anything, and so what can we children do? We ask God to give us some security.
Fatima Al-Aidi (13 yrs old)
During the last incursion, we were so afraid and sad. I was at school when I heard that the tanks had surrounded the Brazil Area and had destroyed a lot of houses. I also heard that there were injured people and martyrs. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't concentrate on my lesson and I was afraid about my family and I didn't know how I could go back home. I went to my aunt's house. All the time, I asked my God to keep my family safe. At night, my father came and took me home. I asked my father about my family to make sure they were safe. Then he told me that Bilal was shot in the head, and I couldn't believe it. Even if we are surrounded by soldiers and have no food, we will stand and defend our country. I hope Bilal will get better soon.
Wala'a Keshta (13 yrs old)
The 1st day they entered, they started to destroy houses without warning. When the bulldozer started to destroy my house, my neighbor shouted for us to escape. The weather was very cold and my sisters wept, and we worried about what would happen to the house. The Israelis started shooting at us. We started to move some of our furniture out and we raised a white cloth to the soldiers as we left the house. The second day, the soldiers went to the roof of a tall building nearby and opened a small hole in the wall for the snipers, so we couldn't return to our house.
Haneen Keshta (13 yrs old)
The occupation entered. There was a lot of shooting, and they started to destroy our house near the border. My father wept because this house was where he grew up and it had been very expensive to build. The tanks stopped behind the house we live in now (because our old house is too dangerous), so we were afraid and couldn't sleep. We escaped from the house and took some of our furniture with us. This night was very cold. My father and my mother cried. We went to my grandmother's house. We couldn't go to school for 3 days. And now I am very sad because my father and mother are crying. (Thank you to our organization for wanting to know about our feelings)
Mohammad Al-Satari (14 yrs old)
I woke up at 6AM. I got ready and left to go to school, but I didn't really want to go. On the way to school, I met my friend Bilal. I told him to escape from the area because the tanks were close-by. Bilal refused and instead encouraged me to stay with him. Some men came to throw grenades at the tanks. Bilal and I watched them. We were surprised when the shooting started. We ran away. I tried to find Bilal but I couldn't find him. Then I saw Bilal fall on the ground and I saw the blood falling from his head. I was afraid for him a lot, and I cried. I asked some men to help me carry him and put him in a car to go to the hospital. I knew Bilal's condition was very dangerous. Some of the men told me that Bilal was a martyr. I went to the hospital to ask, and they told me he was in critical condition. I came back to the house very afraid.
After a few hours, I was surprised when I heard the sound of a lot of shooting. I went outside and I saw an ambulance coming. There was a lot of shooting, so I hid behind the ambulance. Soon after that I went to the front of my neighbor's house. I saw three people on the ground. Some men and I carried the woman who became a martyr, and the second woman who was in critical condition. Her little son was also shot. I told myself that, when I have the courage, I would take my revenge. I went to the place where the tanks were before, but the tanks had already withdrawn after they demolished so much, and they cut the water pipes and the electricity lines too. We are still afraid about Bilal. Whenever I go outside, I hear people saying that Bilal is a martyr, and I go to Bilal's brot her to ask him about how Bilal really is. He tells me that Bilal's condition is still dangerous, but that he isn't a martyr. Every time I hear that, I thank my God. This incursion was more difficult than any of the other incursions. The soldiers destroyed a lot of houses and one of these houses belonged to my friend in my organization. I hope to one day carry a lot of weapons and take my revenge. I hope the day comes when the enemy leaves Palestine.
Nimer Al-Ghraiz (14 yrs old)
When I went to school, I didn't know that there was still an incursion in Brazil. When I was walking in the street, I met my friends Mohammad and Bilal, and Bilal said to me, "I'll call you tonight". And Bilal went to Mohammad. I called to Mohammad, "Come on. We're going to school." Mohammad told me, "I'm not going to school today." I said to him, "It's up to you." I didn't know that the Israeli soldiers had gone to the roof of a nearby building. While I walked in the street, I found a tank down the road, but I wasn't afraid. When I got to school, my friend told me that there was a martyr named Bilal Shehada. I didn't believe him. I said to my friend, "I just saw him a few minutes ago and was talking with him!" During the first class break, my friend repeated to me the same thing, but I still didn't believe him. During my last class, I cried and I worried about my friend. When I returned to my house, I asked about Bilal. I heard that Bilal had been injured but was not a martyr. I went to Mohammad's house and I found a very sad Mohammad. He told me about what happened with Bilal. We went together to Bilal's brother and asked about how Bilal was doing.
Abdel Wahab (13 yrs old)
I am only one person among a thousand persons who had their house destroyed and their families had toescape. I was sleeping in my house. I heard the sound of tanks and shooting, and I slept but I was afraid and couldn't sleep well. In the middle of the night, my father woke us up and told us that the demolition had come to our door. He woke us up so that we could escape. We escaped from the house moments before the tank arrived and destroyed it. And we watched our house being destroyed. In my mind, I asked the world and to kind-hearted people everywhere to please help us. And I asked, why is this happening to us? Why is this still continuing?
I cannot forget this day. Everyday, there is demolition of land and houses and killing of people. I used to wear school clothes to go to school, but that was before my house was destroyed. When I went back to the house to get my things, my notebooks were under the rubble and my clothes were ripped. But I still thank my God for saving me and my family.
Ibrahim Al-Aidi (14 yrs old)
The incursion started in the Brazil area. The Israeli army said that the incursion was because there is a tunnel to smuggle weapons, and the army started to destroy houses and occupied the area. But there were no tunnels. Some of the soldiers went on the roof of a building and shot my friend Bilal. His condition is now dangerous. The occupation army doesn't know the difference between the tree or the stone, the child or the old man. They use military vehicles to surround us. There was one tank and one bulldozer on my street, and they shot everyone who went outside his house. The children felt very afraid. When I heard the shooting, I went out on the balcony to find out what was happening. I heard the ambulance approaching. I heard someone say that some people were dangerously injured. I went outside and saw my frien d Bilal and the blood falling from his head. 2 hours later, I heard that Bilal was a martyr. I didn't believe it. I called the hospital to know the truth. They said, no, he wasn't, but he was still in critical condition. When I went out on the balcony again, I heard a voice calling to me, again, and again, and again. It was a soldier occupying a nearby building. I'm sure he wanted to shoot me. I heard a lot of shooting, and my mother shouted in a loud voice, "Run away!" I escaped off the balcony and stayed in the house. The bullets went into the wall of my house and my family was very afraid. We all went to the safest room in the house.
The next day, the army withdrew from the area and I went outside to know what had happened to my neighbors and to Bilal. I saw the demolished houses and I saw my friend Bilal's blood still on the ground. I thank my God that nobody in my family was injured during this incursion. I ask my god to make the army withdraw from Palestine and make us victorious.
Hello
I hope you all doing fine, iam still alive in gaza. I wanted to forward to you these letters that were sent to me from someone who works with these children from Brazil Camp in Rafah. The situation there is as bad as you read - like the house demolitions are continuing, the killings and the indiscriminate shootings occur on a daily basis and the world is too bored to take any more notice. They have heard it so many times that they no longer care.
Please feel free to pass on or use these letters as you wish.
Best regards,
Wael Zahab
Essays from children who live in Brazil Camp in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Aya Al-Sha'er (13 yrs old)
At 10 o'clock, all of my family was asleep. I woke up very afraid. This day was a terrible day, a dark day. Even if I tried to describe the pain of that day, I wouldn't be able to. We felt very afraid. The bulldozers came without warning. They destroyed two rooms and a bathroom. All of my family shouted in front of the bulldozer, but the bulldozer kept going on with its destruction. My father said to the bulldozer, "Please give me a little time to take our furniture out of the house", but the bulldozer didn't agree to this and started shooting at my father. He was shot in the back and in the leg. Thank God my father is okay now. Now we are staying at my married sister's house. I still can't believe this horrible thing happened. It is like a dream, even though the journalists have been writing a lot about what happened in the newspapers. We children can't do anything. Our Authority can't do anything, and so what can we children do? We ask God to give us some security.
Fatima Al-Aidi (13 yrs old)
During the last incursion, we were so afraid and sad. I was at school when I heard that the tanks had surrounded the Brazil Area and had destroyed a lot of houses. I also heard that there were injured people and martyrs. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't concentrate on my lesson and I was afraid about my family and I didn't know how I could go back home. I went to my aunt's house. All the time, I asked my God to keep my family safe. At night, my father came and took me home. I asked my father about my family to make sure they were safe. Then he told me that Bilal was shot in the head, and I couldn't believe it. Even if we are surrounded by soldiers and have no food, we will stand and defend our country. I hope Bilal will get better soon.
Wala'a Keshta (13 yrs old)
The 1st day they entered, they started to destroy houses without warning. When the bulldozer started to destroy my house, my neighbor shouted for us to escape. The weather was very cold and my sisters wept, and we worried about what would happen to the house. The Israelis started shooting at us. We started to move some of our furniture out and we raised a white cloth to the soldiers as we left the house. The second day, the soldiers went to the roof of a tall building nearby and opened a small hole in the wall for the snipers, so we couldn't return to our house.
Haneen Keshta (13 yrs old)
The occupation entered. There was a lot of shooting, and they started to destroy our house near the border. My father wept because this house was where he grew up and it had been very expensive to build. The tanks stopped behind the house we live in now (because our old house is too dangerous), so we were afraid and couldn't sleep. We escaped from the house and took some of our furniture with us. This night was very cold. My father and my mother cried. We went to my grandmother's house. We couldn't go to school for 3 days. And now I am very sad because my father and mother are crying. (Thank you to our organization for wanting to know about our feelings)
Mohammad Al-Satari (14 yrs old)
I woke up at 6AM. I got ready and left to go to school, but I didn't really want to go. On the way to school, I met my friend Bilal. I told him to escape from the area because the tanks were close-by. Bilal refused and instead encouraged me to stay with him. Some men came to throw grenades at the tanks. Bilal and I watched them. We were surprised when the shooting started. We ran away. I tried to find Bilal but I couldn't find him. Then I saw Bilal fall on the ground and I saw the blood falling from his head. I was afraid for him a lot, and I cried. I asked some men to help me carry him and put him in a car to go to the hospital. I knew Bilal's condition was very dangerous. Some of the men told me that Bilal was a martyr. I went to the hospital to ask, and they told me he was in critical condition. I came back to the house very afraid.
After a few hours, I was surprised when I heard the sound of a lot of shooting. I went outside and I saw an ambulance coming. There was a lot of shooting, so I hid behind the ambulance. Soon after that I went to the front of my neighbor's house. I saw three people on the ground. Some men and I carried the woman who became a martyr, and the second woman who was in critical condition. Her little son was also shot. I told myself that, when I have the courage, I would take my revenge. I went to the place where the tanks were before, but the tanks had already withdrawn after they demolished so much, and they cut the water pipes and the electricity lines too. We are still afraid about Bilal. Whenever I go outside, I hear people saying that Bilal is a martyr, and I go to Bilal's brot her to ask him about how Bilal really is. He tells me that Bilal's condition is still dangerous, but that he isn't a martyr. Every time I hear that, I thank my God. This incursion was more difficult than any of the other incursions. The soldiers destroyed a lot of houses and one of these houses belonged to my friend in my organization. I hope to one day carry a lot of weapons and take my revenge. I hope the day comes when the enemy leaves Palestine.
Nimer Al-Ghraiz (14 yrs old)
When I went to school, I didn't know that there was still an incursion in Brazil. When I was walking in the street, I met my friends Mohammad and Bilal, and Bilal said to me, "I'll call you tonight". And Bilal went to Mohammad. I called to Mohammad, "Come on. We're going to school." Mohammad told me, "I'm not going to school today." I said to him, "It's up to you." I didn't know that the Israeli soldiers had gone to the roof of a nearby building. While I walked in the street, I found a tank down the road, but I wasn't afraid. When I got to school, my friend told me that there was a martyr named Bilal Shehada. I didn't believe him. I said to my friend, "I just saw him a few minutes ago and was talking with him!" During the first class break, my friend repeated to me the same thing, but I still didn't believe him. During my last class, I cried and I worried about my friend. When I returned to my house, I asked about Bilal. I heard that Bilal had been injured but was not a martyr. I went to Mohammad's house and I found a very sad Mohammad. He told me about what happened with Bilal. We went together to Bilal's brother and asked about how Bilal was doing.
Abdel Wahab (13 yrs old)
I am only one person among a thousand persons who had their house destroyed and their families had toescape. I was sleeping in my house. I heard the sound of tanks and shooting, and I slept but I was afraid and couldn't sleep well. In the middle of the night, my father woke us up and told us that the demolition had come to our door. He woke us up so that we could escape. We escaped from the house moments before the tank arrived and destroyed it. And we watched our house being destroyed. In my mind, I asked the world and to kind-hearted people everywhere to please help us. And I asked, why is this happening to us? Why is this still continuing?
I cannot forget this day. Everyday, there is demolition of land and houses and killing of people. I used to wear school clothes to go to school, but that was before my house was destroyed. When I went back to the house to get my things, my notebooks were under the rubble and my clothes were ripped. But I still thank my God for saving me and my family.
Ibrahim Al-Aidi (14 yrs old)
The incursion started in the Brazil area. The Israeli army said that the incursion was because there is a tunnel to smuggle weapons, and the army started to destroy houses and occupied the area. But there were no tunnels. Some of the soldiers went on the roof of a building and shot my friend Bilal. His condition is now dangerous. The occupation army doesn't know the difference between the tree or the stone, the child or the old man. They use military vehicles to surround us. There was one tank and one bulldozer on my street, and they shot everyone who went outside his house. The children felt very afraid. When I heard the shooting, I went out on the balcony to find out what was happening. I heard the ambulance approaching. I heard someone say that some people were dangerously injured. I went outside and saw my frien d Bilal and the blood falling from his head. 2 hours later, I heard that Bilal was a martyr. I didn't believe it. I called the hospital to know the truth. They said, no, he wasn't, but he was still in critical condition. When I went out on the balcony again, I heard a voice calling to me, again, and again, and again. It was a soldier occupying a nearby building. I'm sure he wanted to shoot me. I heard a lot of shooting, and my mother shouted in a loud voice, "Run away!" I escaped off the balcony and stayed in the house. The bullets went into the wall of my house and my family was very afraid. We all went to the safest room in the house.
The next day, the army withdrew from the area and I went outside to know what had happened to my neighbors and to Bilal. I saw the demolished houses and I saw my friend Bilal's blood still on the ground. I thank my God that nobody in my family was injured during this incursion. I ask my god to make the army withdraw from Palestine and make us victorious.