URGENT UPDATE FROM GAZA AND MY FAMILY, MY SWEET FAMILY AND ALL THOSE SUFFERING ALONGSIDE THEM:

Where do I start? Shall we talk about the bombing, artillery or the knocking of death on ones door? Violence continues to creep up the streets, the “deafening sounds” send children flying into their parent’s laps like broken kites.

I spoke shortly to Asmaa, the usual hi and how are you? She returns the usual, “we are alive.” Monotony of the sort that sounds like the beginning of a bad movie over and over again. She quickly asks if I would like to talk to her mother, of course, I reply.

In between heavy sighs she begins.

“Here we are, the END IS NEAR. We are tired. They haven’t left hospitals, schools, NOTHING everything is gone. The Shujaiya is gone. WE are tired. FOOD IS GONE. They’ve even bombed our farmlands.”

I’m sorry, I whisper. She doesn’t hear me.

Are THEY near you? I ask, my body numb. There is NO FOOD, that’s what she said, right? Maybe she was talking about the farmlands.

“The firing is getting nearer to us. They will reach us eventually.”

NO they won’t, I reply in my mind.

“HUNGER will set in soon, my dear Shehnaz there is NO food, NO bakeries to buy bread, NOTHING TO FEED US. GROCERY STORES ARE GONE, we are tired.”

I foolishly ask if they have money.

“Yes, we have money…can one EAT money?” her voice wavers, shakes and falls like a dagger in my ear then straight to my heart. Good GOD they are going to go hungry, SOON.

“The population in this building has doubled, at least 600 of us are here. We heard that the people who fled to the schools are now being ordered to LEAVE, where will they go?! And the lucky ones are the ones who took food when they fled. Akhhhh. The Israelis said they are going to bomb the schools. GOOD GOD have mercy on us!”

Mercy, please GOD have mercy…I apologize to her in Arabic. Ana mitasfa, habibti.

“NO don’t apologize, when I hear your voice you give me hope. You give US hope.”

Is there electricity, I ask, I am now feeling utterly dry and nauseated. They DON’T HAVE FOOD. Her words sink deep into me, a well that offers no water.

“It comes in for short periods of time, the battery is running out EVERYONE’S battery is almost gone,” she replies.

“I apologize, I apologize, I apologize…you call to check up on us and instead I burden you with all of this…” [SIGH]

PLEASE don’t ever apologize I say, if you cannot unload upon me then to WHOM will you be able to speak your heart to?

“God keep you my dear, my dear sister, God keep you, keep you safe and answer all your wishes.” She is making prayers for ME, for ME and I don’t understand why, why!? I should be the one plastered to the floor with my knees, begging God to save them.

My body is now stiff, they are going to go HUNGRY. Her voice is that of a mother who KNOWS her children are either going to end up eating cement, dust and shrapnel or they are NOT going to EAT and either way they will end up DEAD.

I can’t believe what I am hearing, this is the worse I’ve ever heard her.

She continues to SIGH HEAVILY throughout the conversation. “My brother left his house with my father, they are ok she says. I just don’t know where they are. I wanted you to know.”

Alhamdillah, I reply. Thank God, but they don’t have much food if ANY left? They are going to go HUNGRY, I repeat it in my head a thousand times now. Go, I say to her, save the battery of the phone for more important use.

“Yes, ok, thank you my sister, thank you.”

I tell her I’ll call them later, just save the battery and charge it when you can. God be with you and protect you, my sweet Souad. I love you.

“And I love you,” she repeats over and over and over. I don’t hang up, I just wait until she disconnects me. Children’s voices are in the background, lots of them.

GOOD GOD, there is BARELY ANY FOOD LEFT. They are going to go hungry. Even their cell phones are STARVING she finally hangs up…I can almost hear the rumbling of their empty bellies and the phones battery dying out………………………………………………………………..

PLEASE IF YOU ARE READING THIS, CALL SOMEONE CALL EVERYONE AND TELL THEM THAT PALESTINIANS IN GAZA WILL BE MURDERED BY ISRAEL, EITHER BY BOMBS & ARTILLERY OR HUNGER….

I BEG OF YOU, DO SOMETHING!