On the January 18, 2009, Israel pulled its troops out of the Gaza Strip leaving many Palestinians with tremendous losses. Israel's war on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead had begun on December 27. The vicious attack killed 1417 people, wounding 5303 and leaving many thousands homeless, widowed and orphaned. To add pain to misery, many women who were pregnant at the time gave birth to defected children due to inhaling white phosphorous. One year after the attack, after its was confirmed by the United Nations Goldstone report, the Israeli government finally admitted that white phosphorous was used during its war on Gaza.
Shayma Alshakshir is a Palestinian freelance journalist who lives in Melbourne. Alshakshir was visiting family in Jordan at the time of Israel's war. The article was first published by SEED magazine, produced by the Victoria University Student Union, and is reprinted with the author's permission.
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The mountain separated us. Our day was theirs. Their night ours. Yet, somehow we were quite different.
When we ate, they couldn't. When we rested, they didn't. When we ventured to help, they did not know.
I was no longer on holiday, but at war. It took the Israeli forces less than three hours to kill more than 100 Gazans.
Gaza, home to 1.5 million people, is one of the Palestinian cities suffering under Israel's long-held occupation.
In 1948, when Israel was formed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to move out of Palestine. They were told it'd be a matter of days before they could return to their houses. They found asylum in nearby countries like Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and many others.
For the past 60 years, some Palestinians have kept their house keys, awaiting permission to return.
For my family, Jordan was a temporary haven that later became their own.
They never knew today was their last
The Red Sea separated us. I happened to be in Jordan when the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza massacre took place. It's different when you see bloody wars on TV; it seems so far removed, almost fictitious.
In such war emergencies, families gather in one house for protection. This makes the Israeli soldiers' vicious job much easier and quicker. Families are killed irrationally. At times, some end up losing 50 members in an instant.
Consider this: 10 Australian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since their first deployment in 2001. Memorials were held for those diggers.
Many Palestinians killed in Israel's war were buried randomly in mass graves — no memorial, and no last reflection.
On December 27, 2008, the Israeli operation began with an intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Israel claimed it was targeting Hamas bases, police headquarters and offices.
In reality, civilian infrastructures were the target: mosques, houses, medical facilities and schools were destroyed.
Protests soon followed. The local mosques in Jordan announced details of demonstrations set to kick off around the country. The children cried out to the world to help save Gazans.
Hundreds of thousands gathered in the Jordanian streets, holding banners, flags, posters of war victims and war criminals.
Suddenly, our holiday became daily protests — the only thing on our "things to do and see" list.
At one point, the bitter winter was unbearable, but we just couldn't stop. We had to keep our angry voices going until somebody; somewhere could give Gazans the simple gift of getting a peaceful night of sleep without having to fear the unknown.
The messy weather did not impede the protests. I attended one with Mum — it was a march of women and children only, with thousands attending.
These people were driven by persistence — rain and thunder weren't enough to weaken their resolve to seek justice. I was amazed at how children, as young as nine, could deliver politically livid speeches, openly urging listeners to keep up with the resistance.
Since June 2006, the Israeli army has closed all border crossings into and out of the Gaza Strip. This siege has created a humanitarian crisis, depriving Palestinians of fundamental human rights — proper living conditions, health and education. It has been labeled as a violation of international laws and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
On January 18, 2008, Israel went further and closed all of Gaza's borders, preventing food, medicine and fuel from entering the strip. Power cuts extended to 12 hours per day.
Gazans had no access to running water (channeled through electric pumps) due to the shortages. This went on for several days, and eventually the sewage system broke down.
The people of yesterday aren't here today
With the bloody war, Gazan cries reached all parts of the world — it was almost impossible to walk by a news agency and not find papers splashed with images of bloody victims, many of whom were children — some unborn, still connected to their mothers.
Depression hovered. Breakfast, lunch or dinner — bloody news was all we watched. Food lost its flavour.
Demonstrations continued around the country and sparked around the world. Media coverage was constant, and live updates frequent. The death toll rose, while world leaders were nowhere to be seen.
Protesting forums were conducted around the country to assist people on how they, as individuals, could help the Gazans. Donation tents were pitched around the country, and people gave up everything they loved for the sake of helping those in need.
Hundreds of people gathered at mosques to perform night prayers in congregation, asking God to help the Gazans stay steadfast and patient until victory.
People sobbed as our hands went up, asking God to bestow his mercy upon the oppressed. Black flags hung from houses in mourning for the innocent souls lost.
Israel dictated land, sea and air — who came in and who stayed out. It barred media access to Gaza, gunning down more than five journalists.
Israel wanted to make sure that the Palestinian reality was swept under the carpet and cut off from the world.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) workers were sent to help Palestinian refugees in Jordan. Their role was to provide education, health care, social services and emergency aid.
Australian UNRWA workers found that children, mentally and emotionally scarred, proved the hardest task.
"I don't think God has been watching", an Australian UNRWA worker said.
I became bewildered, but understood where she was coming from. "God loves to test his servants to see how far they can go in bearing the unbearable", I replied.
She wasn't convinced!
Just a statistic
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said 1417 Palestinians were killed and 5303 wounded in 23 days. On the other side, 13 Israelis were killed and 518 wounded.
But these are just numbers until you hear families talk about their loss.
The Palestinians who survived the Gaza massacre still suffer with loss — of a parent, a brother, a friend, of a sense, a limb.
A 10-year-old Palestinian boy lost both eyes because of the white phosphorous that resembled fireworks from afar. Israeli defense officials initially denied the use of white phosphorous, but researchers proved that there was excessive use on random targets.
Once this fatal chemical is exposed to skin, it burns and creates a powerful itch — burning the victim while they furiously scratch.
Television stations from across the Middle East hosted donation campaigns to help Gazans. One donor from Qatar called and said he'd like to donate one of his eyes to the young boy, declaring the gesture an obligation and responsibility rather than a donation.
Gaza, the victorious!
The Palestinians are determined to remain strong. The Israelis failed to break them, despite stripping them of almost every essential right. History bears witness: If Israel were capable of wiping Palestinians off the map, it would've happened 60 years ago.
The latest Gaza massacre roused people worldwide — some who had never even heard of Palestine or its people.
The people of Gaza are unique; no matter what they lose, they tell you all is well. They are willing to sacrifice all that they have, to stand firm in the eyes of injustice, convinced that one day things will change.