Voices from Palestine

Between 7 October 2023 and 1 September 2024, at least 40,786 Palestinians were killed and 94,224 were injured in Gaza by the Israeli bombardments. 41 per cent of these casualties are women and children.

While in the West Bank, between 7 October and 14 August 2024, 618 Palestinians, including 15 women and 154 children, have been killed, including East Jerusalem. Over 5,670 Palestinians have been injured in the same period, including about 830 children.

Imagine living in constant fear, with nowhere to escape. Imagine being unable to save your family from the ravages of war. Imagine seeing the fear in your children's eyes and being unable to provide them with a safe space. We all experience moments of fear—an accident, a robbery, or being alone at home. These moments are fleeting, lasting minutes or hours before returning to everyday lives. But can you imagine living in constant fear every moment of your life? For days, months, years? Can you imagine fear being the only reality imposed upon you, with no possibility of choosing another? With no escape?

In Gaza, fear is a daily companion. At any moment, death and loss could strike. The dread that your home might collapse around you-whether it is day or night, whether your children are awake or asleep- never leaves. On 13 October 2023, after a week of the war on Gaza started, UN Women interviewed Hayam from Gaza. She shared her heart-wrenching reality

What would you do if you are living in constant motion, under constant threat, always being chased? In Gaza, there are no safe place. Nine out of ten people living in Gaza are displaced. Nearly one million women and girls have been displaced five, seven, nine times, moving to increasingly smaller areas where they remain targets of attacks and bombings. They move with no cash, no possessions, and no idea where or how they will survive. Many women said they will not move again, as it makes little difference for their safety or survival.

This grim reality does not just affect women or specific area; it impacts residents across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In the north, Jenin refugee camp, the northernmost camp in the West Bank, has also endured immense suffering.

What if you are always on edge, waiting for the unknown, waiting for loss? At any moment, an Israeli military operation could occur. Saja, a 28-year-old lawyer, shared her harrowing experience: "Every Israeli military operation makes the situation worse. I live in constant fear. 19 January 2023 was the worst day of my life. We heard intense gunfire, and just outside our house, someone had been shot. My sister opened the door to try and pull him inside because he was still alive, but she couldn’t. My father rushed to help, but as soon as he stepped out, a sniper shot him in the heart and waist. He started bleeding, and when an ambulance tried to reach us, it was also shot at. My father was dying right in front of me. I was traumatized—he was my backbone. But I had to pull myself together to support my brothers and sisters."

At Jenin camp children at schools are also not safe. Jwan, a 14-year-old girl from Jenin camp, is a talented artist. Her drawings used to be like any other child's— full of life and innocence. But the horrors of war forced her to mature quickly, and her art transformed into depictions of suffering and fear. She drew a girl from Gaza covering her doll's eyes ("Don't look, my doll"). Jwan explains, "Children in Gaza are so strong that even a little girl felt responsible for her beloved doll. To protect it from the horrors around her, she covered the doll's eyes instead of her own."

Imagine if your daughter had to crawl home from school, avoiding fire and gunshots. That is the terrifying reality Jwan’s mother described when she spoke of her fear for her daughters' safety. Jwan’s sister, Lama, just 12 years old, recounted the harrowing experience of 21 May 2024. On that day, after yet another Israeli military operation in the camp, Lama had to crawl on her stomach to reach home safely. Under dire circumstances, she and her classmates ran for their lives, dodging sniper fire, surrounded by blood and the bodies of those who had fallen. Lama shared her fear, saying

While in Qalqilya, another governorate at northern West Bank. The situation is equally dire. Amid continuous raids, women live in constant fear due to Israeli military operation and arrests they endure. Have you ever lost a child? Imagine your child going out and never coming back. What would you do? How would you react? Manal, a 42-year-old single mother of four, shared her tragic story. On 7 October 2022, her 14-year-old son, Adel, went out for Friday prayers with friends. Afterward, they played in a nearby field and heard gunshots. Adel's curiosity led him to peek over a fence, and a sniper’s bullet struck him in the head. I was calling Adel for breakfast but got no response. When the doorbell rang, our neighbours told me Adel had been shot. Paralyzed and lost, I rushed to the hospital, hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Sadly, I lost Adel, and with him, I lost my joy.

Just the day before, we had been planning his future—he wanted to be a car mechanic. We had dreams and plans, but now Adel is gone, taking with him our future and our happiness.

In Nur Shams camp, like elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the situation remains unchanged. Women in Nur Shams camp, like those in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, live under constant threat. What would you do if military forces raided your home, detained you and your family for hours, and interrogated you without knowing what might happen next? Sarah, a 20-year-old senior at Al Najah University studying English Literature and Translation, lives in Nur Shams camp. Her commute to university, once 30 minutes, now takes over an hour due to road closures and the threat of settler attacks.

“There is no safe place in Nur Shams… no safe place in Palestine,” Sarah says, recalling the terrifying day Israeli forces stormed her home. They held her family in a room for hours, and she was particularly worried about her 15-year-old brother Khalil, who has autism, and her father, who suffers from high blood pressure. Those hours felt endless. Despite the danger, Sarah dreams of continuing her education and becoming a role model for young women, aiming to highlight the Palestinian struggle and bring global awareness to their plight.

Imagine living each day under the constant shadow of fear, where the safety of your loved ones is always in jeopardy. Picture being a parent who must comfort their child amid explosions, or a young girl whose art reflects the horror of her surroundings. Think about fleeing from place to place with nothing, or waiting for a child who never returns. Consider how different your life would be if you were in their shoes.