Narrative: Sami El-Yousef in Gaza, August 6, 2014

Narrative: Dina writes from Gaza

Earlier this week Samia Khoury of Jerusalem transmitted this message from her daughter:

My daughter Dina has been in Gaza with a medical team from the Augusta Victoria Hospital since last Friday.  We are expecting them back tomorrow "Inshallah" as we always say in Arabic (God Willing) 

Today was day four in Gaza. The first two days were like limbo. We felt we were in Gaza but not yet feeling what was happening around. We live in the hospital compound: eat in the compound, work in the compound, sleep in the compound. We see the injured, hear the ambulances, see the bodies and people strewn around everywhere - still it does not sink in. Yesterday evening things started to get real when I saw a child sleeping with his father in the open air on a piece of cardboard. He was there in the morning, there in the evening, and again this morning and this evening. I wonder where is his mother, where is his family? The stories one hears about entire families being annihilated, completely erased from the national registers of citizenship makes your hair stand on end! But still, it does not sink in. Perhaps because I am in the operation room and used to seeing people injured. Then reality hits when the shelling in Jabalia starts. At ten in the evening we receive a lady in her sixties. She is full of dust, full of earth and full of holes throughout her body. Head lacerated, thighs lacerated, leg crushed. I think of where she could have been sitting, what were her thoughts when the shell hit…I thought of mom, I thought of all the older women I know.

 

When the bombing started this morning, it was children. Our first patient was a little boy around six years old. He had massive lacerations to his groin, abdomen, face and head. He had burns all over his body as well. We were able to manage him in the theatre. I wait to see how he is doing. Then comes Haneen. She is an eight year old; my colleague from the emergency room, Dr. Haytham informed me that a child is coming up with her hand hanging on her side. I went up to Haneen who was waiting calmly in the holding bay. Her eyes were closed. She had a bandage across her head; her eyes were closed because of the swelling from the oedema and the burns to her face. I approached her and held her, and greeted her, and informed her of my name. I held her little hand on the injured side. I told her that I will be with her - she held my fingers. She informed me that her hand hurts. I told her that it was injured and that we will try and fix it. She then asked me about her father and two sisters. I told her that her father was waiting for her. I could not tell her that her sister had died. I still could not tell her that later that evening, her other sister was brought in dead from under the rubble…they were both less than four years old.

 

I saw Haneen in the ICU later. She was awake and extubated. I greeted her and told her that I was Dina. One eye was now open. She asked me if I had a daughter, I said yes. She asked me what is her name. I said Haya. She said that is a pretty name.

 

It was a tough day that ended with hopeful news. The plane up above, called zanana (drone) keeps buzzing all around. My colleagues from Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem arrived today with supplies. I felt proud to greet them. The Hospital had done an excellent job sending supplies and individual packs to each of us. They were greeted and their support appreciated. Being there is all that matters. On a personal level, I feel responsible for a big group now. It is very nice to have Dr. Haytham here; he is a wonderful professional colleague. My other colleagues are in Nasser Hospital in Rafah (South of Gaza), treating the injured and witnessing the toll of martyrs. One other colleague is at Al Aqsa Hospital working in surgery.

 

The smell of blood and death is around the young and the old. Each day we are greeted with the car coming to take the martyrs. Our room is close to the mortuary. You look at the faces of people here - they are all stunned. A nurse on duty looks deeply sad - her son comes with her to work. My friend Bassam from Gaza came to visit me and brought me a lot of goodies to eat. I distributed them among our team and colleagues. I was worried when I looked into his eyes and saw how red they were. The strain on his face was apparent. His son had a close call, and his nephew has been injured. They are children. They were playing in the street and had just stepped into the house….

 

Posted on Samia Khoury's blog: http://reflectionsfrompalestine.blogspot.com/2014/08/from-my-daughter-dina-from-gaza.html

Narrative from Dr. Maria Khoury of Taybeh

May you have a blessed Holy Transfiguration Day.  Our church celebrates 13 days later on the Old Calendar. We hope the love of God will help to transfigure the total hate that is in the air right now in Israel/Palestine. This horrific attack on Gaza has created a new generation of hate.  What can these thousands of children who have seen their parents killed and houses destroyed think of Israel?  Most of the life time injuries include so many children without legs, or arms, completely traumatized.
 
Today we had a memorial service for Jalileh (the first Christian woman in our extended family killed in Gaza). Just to explain to you the craziness of the permit system and lack of freedom for Palestinians; her husband George, 70 years old, only 25 minutes away at the Jerusalem hospital accompanying his son at the ICU, could not attend his wife's memorial service in her family village because the permit from Israel is only limited to go from Gaza to the hospital.  Please know, I found this to be a bizarre rule that you will receive permission to travel  but cannot go anywhere but the hospital.
 
It was forbidden for him (according to his permit) to go into the Old City of Jerusalem and pray at the Holy Life Giving Tomb of Christ.  At any rate, I called him on the phone so he can be comforted with the beautiful chanting during the service.  May his wife rest in peace.

As we had this memorial service on Tuesday, August 5th, we hope a ceasefire will remain in Gaza after 29 days of brutal attacks that have left 1,875 people killed and 9,563 injured; 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Hamas continued to fire rockets in Israel non stop.  (if the siege on Gaza is lifted, it will be considered a victory). Another UN school was bombed Sunday, (three schools in total, in addition to hospitals, ambulances, mosques) finally having a statement of moral outrage from the international community that this is a criminal act.  This war will continue and there will be another war unless the whole world stands up and tells Israel to end the military occupation. 

As many people are carrying on their regular lives in all corners of the world, the Gaza strip is a total  hell and a total humanitarian disaster.  There are whole neighborhoods that have been flattened out, lack of water, electricity, medical supplies and food. 

People are struggling to dig out the bodies of the dead, hospitals struggling to cope with the bloodshed and death, and shelters struggling to cope with the hundreds of thousands attempting to seek refuge.  There are more than 270,000displaced people.  

When I visit our cousin in the hospital, the lucky 30 children that got a permit for treatment in Jerusalem are all either with missing legs, arms, or brain dead.  But I have seen everyone, both Christian and Muslim come and express solidarity with moral and financial support.  May our Lord have mercy! 

Thank you for your prayers, in Christ, Maria

In case you want to share the story of Jalileh with others

http://thearabdailynews.com/2014/07/31/many-mothers-will-take/  

When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 

when slandered, we speak kindly. 1 Corinthians 4:12-13

A Special Prayer for Gaza

by Samia Khoury of Jerusalem

Today I had a short break from the news and the TV set as I joined Sabeel for  a special service held at the Dominican church  for the people of Gaza.   This church where Yousef and I celebrated our wedding, fifty four years ago, has become a symbol for special prayers held by Sabeel.  The occasions have been many and seem to be endless.  Iraq Syria,  Palestinian prisoners, and now the people of Gaza for a third round of invasions.  

No words can describe the brutality of what is happening in Gaza.  With the sophisticated media nowadays, nobody can claim ignorance of this genocide.  We watch TV day and night and see bodies torn apart and people lifting children from under the rubble.    We also  prayed for the Christians  of Mousel in Iraq who are being evicted from their homes or killed.  Not much different from the action of  the sophisticated army of the only democracy in the region shelling a defenseless population under siege.  Thanks to Mr. Bush and Blair for starting this war in Iraq and which, ever since,  had created havoc in the region and more refugees.  It also  brought about all sorts of radical movements that are  to the advantage of nobody but Israel,  as the world turns a blind eye to  how it has been systematically  dispossessing the Palestinians ever since 1948.    The barbaric war on Gaza is  another Nakba.   

Despite the grave tragedy and the massacre of whole families in Gaza totaling to over  660 until this evening and thousands injured and homes demolished we find the reaction of the UN and the US not up to the gravity of this beastly  invasion.  In fact it is unbelievable when the US president claims that Israel has the right to defend itself, instead of having the courage to force Israel to lift the siege on Gaza and to withdraw from the occupied territories.  This sounded like the understatement of the year  when an occupying force needs to defend itself from the occupied.  And what  makes  the Israeli narrative more ridiculous and nonsensical is the claim of all  spokespersons that Gaza is not under occupation, and that Israel withdrew from it completely eight years ago.  Really did they?  Who then controls this hugely condensed area whose population is mostly from refugees evicted in 1948?   

The people of Gaza  have been under siege for the last seven years,  with no access to land, air or sea.  So is the world surprised that they had to be creative and innovative in finding means to liberate themselves from this big prison and all the brutality of one attack after the other while the world was simply watching without taking any action. Enough is enough.  Those  people  could not wait any longer  for the wishy washy stand of the brokers of peace, the UN  or the Arab leaders and took matters in their own hands.  And at this stage it seems that all the Palestinians are behind them in their right to resist this brutality, despite the high price they are paying with human lives.  But for a desperate population the cry ends up being either freedom or death.  Is anybody listening?  Just envisage your own domestic animal cooped up in a small area, and felt cornered how ferocious it can be and  what damage it would do to be able to get out, and you might end up being its first victim.  The people of Gaza are human beings,  who  deserve a dignified life.    

Mr. Kerry wasted his time and energy like his predecessors in trying to forge a peace that could not be possible while Israel continues to flout all agreements and UN resolutions as well as international law.  Indeed as long as Israel can maintain the status quo and  get away with it by being above the law,  why should it bother to heed to the UN, Mr. Obama or Mr. Kerry?  They are all irrelevant as far as Israel is concerned.  But now  they got a taste of the suffering that they have inflicted on others for years.  Would these mothers and wives losing their loved ones make a difference, or will they become as arrogant as their leaders and more aggressive and revengeful and increase the loss of lives on both sides?

In his homily, Patriarch Sabbah  said that there is a  need for the transformation of leaders with a change of heart,  and a change of vision whereby all humans are equal and all people deserve to have their own freedom and sovereignty, and to  live   in dignity,  and security.  As I shook hands with the Patriarch, the Bishops and the clergy after the service I told them  I was hoping  the doors of the heavens were open to hear our prayers.  It is indeed going to take much more than our prayers to bring an end to the atrocities and massacres in Gaza.