The first time I ever lived through bombing in Gaza was when the Israelis assassinated a wanted leader

Baha Abu Alatta in 2019. The aggression against Palestine went on for approximately three days. I vividly
remember that day because it was the first time I went through such traumatic events. The three days
did not compare to what I lived through in 2021. I live near the area of Ansar and Al-Sena3a. The level of
fear and terror that we went through is indescribable. We had a bag near the door and this bag
contained all of the important papers, valuable jewelry, electronics, and an extra pair of clothes for each
person. My mom, sister, and I always had the top piece of the prayer clothes encase we got the call to
evacuate. We all slept in my moms’ room, put out mattresses and slept around each other. One
morning, we woke up to approximately 6-10 bombs one after the other, the house was shaking and the
sound was really loud. The only place in our house that didn’t have windows was the corridor, so we all
sat in the corridor. That night, we got the call that they were going to bomb the ministry of finance,
which was right Infront of my house. I honestly don’t even know how we got out so quick and rushed to
my grandparent’s house in less that 5 minutes. The next day they bombed an empty piece of land beside
my house. While we were at my grandparents my cousins were in Gaza at the time, so we had company
to distract us. We got a call that they were going to bomb a building, but there were two buildings that
had the same name the only difference was that one was directly behind my grandparents and the other
was further away where we wouldn’t feel anything but the house shake. So, we proceeded to evacuate
all the way from the 9th floor until the basement, then up to the 7th floor where the neighbors opened up
their home for us. During the 2021 war my method of coping with the unfortunate events was to write. I
wrote an article but didn’t sign my name on it and sent it to my friend in Canada who posted it on all her
social media platforms. I also got picked to talk on CBC news, unfortunately I didn’t do the interview
because it would affect my travels.
I was in my zone studying and preparing for the presentation that I was going to give on the 10 th in my
Oral Communication lecture. It was May 9th, at around 2:30am, when all I heard was shhhhhhhhhhhh
boommmm. It was really startling, so I rushed to my mother and told her what I heard and all she told
me was don’t worry everything’s okay go finish studying. At that moment all I could think about is what
if we had to evacuate like we did in 2021, my grandmother was staying with us and she can barley walk.
The next morning my uncle came to take my grandmother back to Deir Al Balah and he wanted to take
us with him but my siblings and I refused. The only thing that ran through my mind is that if I’m going to
die, I want to die in my house as a martyr. I wasn’t as scared as my siblings and my other, I tried my best
to comfort my little brother who was yellow and his heart was pounding out of him chest. When ever
something went up from the Arab side, I told him to yell Allah Akbar (God Is great) and if anything came
down from the oppressors, I told him to say (rabanna yes Elem) God protect. I tried to occupy him with
activities like Kahoot, Roblox, and basketball games. I even called his friends to play with us. I was the
one that was going to the supermarket when the bombing was ongoing. In 2023, I honestly don’t think
it can be compared to the 2021 war maybe its because my area was really affected. In recent events
Israeli airstrikes showed no mercy to innocent families or even cemeteries. The more time I spend in
Gaza the less I’m scared because at the end of the day we’re all going to be eaten by the same worms
and are going to leave everything we’ve built and done. To die a martyr is something I truly hope for.