Shadow of Resistance

Chapter Thirty Three

Two weeks have passed since we were displaced here. Neither the war stopped, nor I have been able to reach Sarah. Every day I walk a long distance to charge my phone just to keep trying to call her all day, but she is still unreachable.

It's October 28th. Today, Israel announced the start of a full-scale ground invasion. Bombs continue to rain down on Gaza, even in the so-called 'safe' areas. The only difference now is that North of Gaza is being bombed more intensely. The number of killed and injured is skyrocketing. This isn't like any war we've faced before, and it doesn't seem that is ending soon.

Living in this tent is proving to be much harder than staying in the school. Acquiring water is one challenge. Every day, we walk three kilometres to the water station and back, often making this trip multiple times. We stand in line for an hour each time due to the huge number depending on the same single source.

Cleaning clothes is another challenge. We clean our clothes in a bowl with the cleaning products they gave us before leaving the school. We then hang them on robes that are hanging between the tents and leave them to dry. It's a simple routine, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

Food has become our biggest challenge. No one distributes food here, unlike at the school. We've run out of the canned goods we were given, and now we have to buy everything ourselves. We live on canned food that we buy from a market nearby.

We buy bread from an old woman in the camp who bakes it using a handmade oven. We provide her with the wood for the fire, pay her, and she bakes the bread for us. Our days now begin with Omar and me fetching water while Mariam and Jasmine search for wood.

Prices are increasing dramatically, and the money I took from the shop is nearly gone. I believe that I need to start working soon, we can't survive much longer without some source of income. I'm thinking of selling tea, it's simple and doesn't require much to get started, just more wood and water. It's not much, but it might be enough to get us through for now.

We're outside the tent, sitting on the sand under the harsh sun. I glance over at the girls, who are staring down at the ground with a look of sadness that breaks my heart. I can't stand seeing them like this. "Hey, what's going on?" I ask gently. "Why the long faces?"

"I miss everything," Mariam says softly. "I miss my school, my friends, our outings. I miss our home, and sleeping in our comfortable beds."

Jasmine nods, her voice trembling as she adds, "I miss sitting together in the living room and watching movies. I miss our food, Mansaf, Maqluba, Nammura. When will all of this end? When can we go back to our normal lives?"

Mariam chimes in again, her worry deepening. "And it's almost winter. It's getting colder every day. How are we going to survive in this tent?"

"I know it is hard." I reply "Everything we do here feels like a challenge and unfortunately we can't do something to end all of this, but do you know what we can do?"

I smile, trying to lighten their spirits. "We can learn how to have fun in times like this, let's turn each challenge we face into a new experience. Let's turn each challenge into a new experience. You miss your friends, so let's meet new people and make new friends. When the war ends, you'll have your old friends and your new ones."

Seeing their interest increasing, I continue, "And don't worry about the cold and wind, it's the perfect time to make kites and fly them! I know how to make them. We'll gather some wooden sticks and plastic bags, and I promise you'll have the best kites ever. They'll be the fastest kites in the world."

Their faces brighten with growing excitement. "What are you waiting for? Go search for those wooden sticks!"

They take off, racing each other. As I watch them run, a rare moment of happiness warming my heart, I suddenly notice someone walking into the camp. My heart skips a beat. It's her.