Gaza over the past four years.

Plain Words, but Painful Reality!

Many of the world's non-Arab countries—across Europe and the U.S., even Arabs, have associated the name "Gaza" with wars, weapons, explosions, blood, poverty, anarchy…and recently with the in-fighting and the trails of destruction wrought by Israel's recent assault.

Gaza is a small coastal enclave, approximately 26 miles long and 6 miles wide. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Under normal circumstances, Gaza used to stagger under the burden of supporting for its inhabitants. More than half of its population are refugees, forced out of the historical Palestine during the war in 1948 (al-Nakba).

Gaza is fragile to be on its own. Before the mid-June 2007 when Israel started closing borders, Gaza had mainly been depending on the Israeli economics. Three months later, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as "hostile entity", and therefore decided to take more rigorous procedures that would very much tighten the siege. Since then, Gaza has indeed been severed from the outer world, and life has gradually been deteriorating until the very present moment…

Gaza's normal signs of life no longer exist….

over the past two years, people have been made to live under different kinds of suffering; they have been denied the right to free movement caused by the shutdown of borders. Either for urgent treatment, studying or trade, Israel wouldn't budge! Health system has been suffering from a sharp shortage of medications and medical equipment. Important types of medicines in stock are next to zero, and many of the life-giving medical devices broke down due to the repeated power failure and the intricacy of getting new units installed. Because of these critical medical conditions, the number of victims has been daily on the increase.

Similarly, Business and economic sections have been completely incapacitated, and therefore this has led to a dangerous stagnation in all dynamic components of life. As a result, the majority of the populace are now poverty-stricken since there is no sustainable source of livelihood.

Well worse is the crisis of electricity. We all probably remember the moment Gaza was clad in absolute darkness when Israeli airplanes had destroyed Gaza's only power plant in June 2006. Since the destruction, the Gaza Strip has been continually crumbling under the brunt of the electricity cut.

What made things much worse is the siege that followed. And now because of the siege, there is little limited amounts of fuel being allowed to operate Gaza's power plant, and most often people have to take turns. Most people have power cuts of at least 8 hours per day; some do not have electricity for long as 12 hours a day. And obviously this is not enough to maintain a respectable human life.

Crushed Hope:

This is no Hollywood—even the most laudable Hollywood filmmakers ever could not be able to put what is happening in Gaza into a movie. Seldom have a people experienced such an affliction! Gazans do not even have access to basic necessities of life. People seem to have forgotten the thought of any possible improvement as they have touched no auspicious signs of hope. As flagrantly violating all human rights, Israel continues to unjustly practice its offensive policy against the Palestinians.

This bleak prospect has been further swelled by Israel's latest ferocious assault on the Gaza Strip, which left nearly 1,500 dead and more than 5000 injured, mostly civilians, let alone the extensive destruction of Gaza infrastructure. Up to 2011 building were destroyed, houses, schools, public & private facilities and mosques included. Even the normal practices of life were targeted as some of the wedding halls were also completely destroyed.

Now it has been 8 months since the Israel's pogrom ended, and life has never been any worse as the blockade is being instantly intensified. The Gaza Strip has not yet had a chance to recover as the much-needed goods & items—especially building materials, are not allowed in by Israeli authorities. Without houses, people have had to live miserably in tents provided by UNRWA.

And this is 2009:

The succession of agony has not yet stopped, and sometimes I wonder if it would ever end! People still live in the prison of Gaza. Israel still adamantly closes the borders and controls the passing of everything… Nothing has been changed, actually…

Ramadan, the Holy Month, is perceived as a joyous religious occasion by the Arab world, but the case is different in the Gaza Strip. Muslim countries but Gaza are now illuminated by Ramadan's special imbuement. This year, Ramadan seasonal features exist no more; markets have run low on Ramadan goods and items, and people have no financial means to purchase Ramadan's basics. At sunset, for example, families sit happily around Ramadan feasts and enjoy Ramadan's sacred gathering. But in Gaza, people have lost the taste of Ramadan; they suffer daily from power cut as they gather for iftar (the fast-breaking meal). Gaza families are still reminiscent of the war; they have deep sorrow over the lost beloved ones. It is heart-breaking to see a grief-stricken family or a teary mother looking at the empty place where her son used to sit before the Israeli war machine murdered him.

Children are no less sad than adults, and living conditions haven't been any easy on them. Previously in Ramadan, markets used to be teeming with Ramadan toys—Ramadan fanous in particular(a small lantern, lit by a tiny light. Now they have been unable to get these toys because of the siege. However, they have managed to fashion handmade ones—it could be a can of cola with its bottom nail-pierced, lit by a small candle.

What a coincidence! This year's Ramadan has come simultaneously with the new school year. As you know, this is a yearly event which needs special preparations. As nothing could pass in such as stationery & school uniform, students have been forced to go to schools with their old belongings, fortunate enough if not lost during the war…