Gaza: blue sky and piles of stones

check out my report in Youth Journalism International :http://youthjournalisminternational.blogspot.com/2014/08/gaza-just-blue-sky-and-piles-of-stones.html

After hearing the news about the humanitarian ceasefire, I cringed, reminiscing about what happened in the last ceasefire, which didn’t hold at all.

In the last ceasefire we returned to our home from the school where we’d stayed for three days after we had evacuated. Two hours later we had to run for our lives.

It was a nightmare. Everyone was running in the street, young and old, women and kids, all screaming and panicked. Most of them were barefoot.

That day I ran for more than a mile, carrying my heavy backpack and my three-month-old brother.  We ran between the houses in a narrow, sandy street before we made it to the main street.

There were some cars that were carrying loads of people – you could barely see the car from all the people clutching onto it, like a man clutching at the floating wreckage of his ship.

So this time I didn’t want to get my hopes up, saying I will not believe it until it takes effect.

At night before the ceasefire, my mom and siblings were talking about their plans for what to do during the break in the fighting. The main activity for them and for most of the people of Gaza was SLEEPING.

After a month of sleepless nights, the ceasefire is a tempting time to relax our exhausted bodies.

Later that night we heard several strikes, but we knew that would happen. We understand and remember the routine of war like the back of our hands.

Whenever they announce a ceasefire, Israel usually makes another strike before it kicks in.

This time, they destroyed the most famous tower in Khanyounis, my city in the south of the Gaza Strip. That strike shook my house, leaving me out of breath and unable to move for several minutes. It was really close and scary.

I stayed up all night long, waiting for the clock to announce 8 a.m.  The clock hands moved heavily, as if they were holding a part of our burdens.

Tick-tock. It finally was 8 a.m. and I could sleep knowing that… for more check the original post :

http://youthjournalisminternational.blogspot.com/2014/08/gaza-just-blue-sky-and-piles-of-stones.html