Palestinian-Egyptian citizen talks to Jusoor Post: My memories in Gaza have vanished

The ongoing brutal attack in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation following the launch of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation by Hamas, the resistance movement that governs the Gaza Strip, has left – and is still leaving – unforgettable wounds in those who have witnessed the events or lost their houses and loved ones. 

The Israeli defense minister announced the imposition of a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip, which includes cutting off electricity and water and preventing the entry of food and fuel into the enclave. Crowds of residents in the northern Gaza areas began to migrate southward after the Israeli warning, according to Al Masry Al Youm. 

The more than three-week attack on the Strip has led to the death and injury of thousands and the destruction of many buildings, including Al-Maamadani Hospital, as well as the displacement of thousands of Palestinians whose houses were destroyed, forcing them to move to other places. 

Jusoor Post had the opportunity to speak with Moshira Salama, a Palestinian-Egyptian in her thirties, whose house was in the Zahraa neighborhood in Gaza before it was reduced to rubble in an Israeli strike. 

“I lived from 2000 to 2008 in the beautiful Zahraa, where my family, friends and school were,” said Salama, adding, “Our house overlooked the Mediterranean Sea.” 

Salama, whose late father was Palestinian and her mother is Egyptian, sadly told us about her memories in the neighborhood. She described how her family, neighbors, and friends were like one big family who fearlessly spread joy and happiness in the whole neighborhood. Her brother used to be the imam of a nearby mosque. 

“I felt an indescribable heartache when I received the news about the destruction of my house where I used to live with my parents and siblings,” Salama said.

Her sister, Shaymaa, currently lives with her family-in-law in Palestine’s Rafah, where she is only somewhat distant from the horrors of the attacks. 

“I will never forget when we celebrated the victory of the evacuation of Netzarim, the last settlement in Gaza and the end of the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip,” she added. 

She told us about her childhood best friend, Nevin, who became homeless along with her family after their house in Zahraa was bombed. They found shelter in the house of her extended family in Khan Yunis for days, but when the nearby houses in Khan Yunis began to be bombed by the occupation forces, they relocated again to Rafah.

“It is heartbreaking to lose the place where you built your memories in the blink of an eye, yet those memories will be engraved forever in my heart,” she said. 

She stressed that she thanks God for everything and she has faith that everything will be better and her city will be rebuilt and will be even prettier than before.