‘No Place is Safe’: Mother Describes Life Under Siege in Gaza Strip

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Since journalists are not allowed into Gaza freely, to hear what is happening there we must speak directly to those living amid the rubble.

According to the International Federation of Journalists, at least 195 journalists and media workers, including 181 Palestinians, have been killed since 7 October 2023, making this the deadliest war against reporting in recent history.

So we have interviewed a mother and nurse, Alaa Jaber.

Alaa has with her, in a battered tent in near Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, her two children; Ayla (2 years, six months) and Muhammed (1 year, six months). She is also with her husband Ibrahim, and is looking after her mother.

Josiah: Thank you for speaking, Alaa. Tell me about you and what you were doing before the conflict.  

Alaa: My name is Alaa Jaber, I am 27 years old. I am currently living in the middle of the Gaza Strip. I was working as a nurse before the destruction, and now I volunteer my nursing work to those in need if I can and have the means to do so.

Josiah: How are you and your family surviving? 

Alaa: I am now with my husband and children, and I am responsible for my mother since my father was killed. She is 70 and suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes. My husband, my daughter, and I have all been injured in the war. 

I was displaced from my home after it was bombed. My father’s house near Deir al-Balah was also bombed, and he was martyred on October 26th 2023. 

My daughter, Ayla, my husband, and I, when I was pregnant with Muhammad, were injured and pulled out from under the rubble. I have burns on my body and Ayla has burns on her hands. My husband has injuries to his head and foot. 

I was seven months pregnant with my child [Muhammed]. When I had labour pains, the occupation forces were targeting the ambulances. There were no cars to take me, so I walked, bleeding, until I reached the hospital. He was born prematurely, twenty days after my injury and as a result of what happened to me. 

Because the hospital was so crowded with the wounded, murdered and injured, a quarter of an hour after his birth, they ordered me to leave the hospital. After giving birth, I suffered from postpartum complications due to lack of medication, care, and water.

Now we have no source of income and nothing. I live on people’s help and we go for days at a time without eating. My daughter suffers from malnutrition. Muhammed suffered from intestinal obstruction. 

Josiah: What is happening with aid where you are? Are you receiving any? Have you had to relocate? 

Alaa: We are now in a tent and we are not receiving any assistance. Our situation is very difficult. My children need help. 

Josiah: Do you witness the bombings and shootings? What have you seen in terms of the violence?

Alaa: Yes, of course. There is no safe place at all. We are bombed daily next to us and in front of us, and we’ve been displaced more than once. There is no humanitarian safe place as they claim.

These are some of our daily struggles.

Josiah: Do you have access to electricity?

Alaa: There is no electricity in Gaza to begin with, and I wish I could get a battery to light my children at night because they are afraid of the dark, as are all children.

Josiah: Are Hamas still active where you are? What role do you think they still have in the conflict?

Josiah: You have said you saw aid being dropped into the sea. Is any aid getting through?

Alaa: Most of them fall into the sea and the others are in the red areas where no one can go. A little arrives, but armed thieves seize it.

Josiah: I hear any food you get is very expensive – can you tell me what you are able to get, and how much it costs?

You can also measure it against other things. I couldn’t afford milk and nappies for my little one because I could barely afford food. A kilo of tomatoes today costs 100 shekels, which is equivalent to approximately $25 [approx. £18.50]. 

However, the commission rate is very high – 45% – meaning that we get about $100 here for 170 shekels [it should be around 340 shekels]. Much of the money goes to the [exchange] more than we benefit from it.

Josiah: Who is charging that commission? The banks?

Alaa: Because the banks are closed, currency traders control that. Merchants and thieves are another face of the occupation and siege here.

Josiah: Do you want to leave Gaza?

Alaa: I wish to, but the crossings are closed and I don’t have any money to get out. 

I want to make an appeal to help me complete the costs of my husband’s surgery because he went once to get American aid and was shot in his foot. Now he has a metal implant in his foot. 

Josiah: How are you coping? Do you have hope? 

Alaa: We are not well at all and our only wish is for our children to grow up before we die and for this deadly destruction to end. We are more worried and the longer we see the war will last, the more our fear and worry intensify.

Josiah: What message would you like to send to the West and the UK Government? What should they do to stop this conflict?

Alaa: We beg them to stop this genocide. There is nothing left that we have not lost. Our children live with internal conflict, psychological illnesses, and fear.

Alaa has a fundraising page, set up by UK backer Abigail Jones, to support her family.

Alaa spoke via translation on WhatsApp. Byline Times has verified her identity. Our thanks to Alaa for speaking, and Byline Times subscriber Martin for connecting us.

Got a story? Get in touch in confidence on josiah@bylinetimes.com 

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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.

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