Youth Voices from Gaza

Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Youth involved in Mercy Corps' Gaza programs are feeling the effects of Israel's military action against Hamas. Communicating with people in the Gaza Strip is increasingly difficult because of electricity shortages and network outages, but our Jerusalem-based program manager is keeping up with some of the youth through SMS and phone.

These updates come from participants in Mercy Corps' Global Youth Connectivity initiative, a program that links students from the Middle East with their peers in the U.S. through videoconferencing and an online discussion forum.

Reem
"The situation is getting worse everyday. The fighting is getting closer to our home and the sound of the bombing is getting louder. We cannot get out of our home at all. Thankfully, my family is safe and we have electricity sometimes because we have a generator. But we try not to use it that often because we are afraid we might not have fuel later on."

Nasser
"We were staying at my aunt's house when the bombing started. We couldn't sleep because it started at 11 p.m. and continued until 9 a.m. Now, we can't go out at all because the bombardment is so random. We are very tired of all of this. Every morning we pray to God that this war will end."

Derar
"On the first day the attacks started, I was studying for my exams. My family and I had to leave our home and go to southern Gaza. But after the incursion, the situation became more difficult and much more terrifying. The sound of the shelling is louder, the tanks are closer…. We don't have electricity and we don't have a lot of food. We have one meal a day in order to save food. I really want to use my experience as a journalism major to explain the situation to the rest of the world, but right now I want to help the injured."

Fairouz
"Last night at 3:20 a.m. our neighbors informed us that buildings close to our home will be bombarded and that it wasn't safe for us to stay. We grabbed our ID cards, money and some bed covers and went to a nearby park where all the people were gathering. We had to call relatives and move in with them. The situation is really miserable. I was supposed to graduate and now we are left without electricity, water ... not even a house."

Ziad
"My family is alright. We are tired physically and emotionally. We cannot go out of our home except for very short periods. We are cut off. But among family and friends, we are all helping each other. If one family makes bread, they share it with their neighbors. I really hope the war will end soon. I miss going to the university and walking around."