Tuesday’s Child Blog

Tuesday’s Child Returns to Gaza – Day 12

Friday 17th July 2009

Today is my twelfth day in Gaza and the time is going so fast now. The internet is working this morning and I even have a connection to my bedroom. Good to be able to catch up with some of the stockpile of work. Later, I spend the afternoon trying to raise more awareness of this field visit to Gaza with donors, contacts and media. However, there is little media interest in our visit and the crisis here. It is very frustrating. John Ging is correct, the media have moved on from Gaza.

I receive many emails from people I have met over the last 12 days with many photographs of the war, bringing home again the horror of what happened here. The suffering was off the scale and to continue with the blockade in the light of what these people have had to endure already this year, is inhumane, too cruel for words.

One set of photos are from Raad, who helps with the food distribution programme in Northern Gaza. Some of these I have seen before, via the PCHR here, yet revisiting them is just as shocking. These tell more than words can explain.
(PLEASE NOTE THESE PHOTOS ARE DISTURBING - scroll down to view)

Too horrific for words. And yet, still after all of this killing and pain, humanitarian aid is kept to a minimum and the siege continues. ENOUGH!

I also receive a correspondence from Dr Anwar, paediatrician at Al-Nassr, entitled War Against Children and a selection of photographs from the war, his hospital and other paediatric hospitals. Again, they are tragic, the brutality the people suffered before death, clearly evident on the faces of the corpses and the children. Again, some of these photographs, I have seen before, others are new and they defy belief.

“War on Children”, pictures collated by Dr Anwar, Consultant Paediatrician
(PLEASE NOTE THESE PICTURES ARE DISTURBING)

Many children died immediately, others in hospital, some within days and some within weeks. Others watched their brothers and sisters die, parents watched children die and children watched parents die.

It is all just too horrific. Human beings should not have to endure such things. How, they can get up and continue with their daily lives, still under this siege, after all that has happened, is quite incredible. While they say something has changed in all of them, and their spirit is broken, they have great strength and courage.

I receive a CD delivered to the hotel from the blind school we visited yesterday, a video from the Al Quds hospital under attack and in flames and a video from the concrete and cement business family of their losses. All show gross breach of human rights and in the case of the hospital breach of international humanitarian law. I badly need a dose of optimism so also watch the dvd of the Summer Games; where there is darkness there is always light!

I am taking everyone out tonight for something to eat. Sabah and her family, Fowzia and her family and Ahmed and some of his family. We go to a restaurant in the northern part of Gaza city, overlooking the sea. How very different to the restaurants of Belfast and Dublin, all bustling on a Friday night. Fowzia gives me a beautiful present of a full length embroidered Palestinian dress and I am deeply touched. And Sabah gives me a beautiful head covering. Next time I visit I must wear both and I am sure I will pass for Palestinian!

The chat and the company is good and we try and talk of other things apart from the blockade and the recent war. Important always to be upbeat here even if you don’t feel like it and smile and be positive, difficult after this afternoon’s emails and CDs. I am blessed that I have been able to spend so much time in Gaza. I am so thankful that I have been able to spend so much time with Sabah and Fowzia, on this visit, they are fantastic. We talk of our future plans for Tuesday’s Child and I insist that they hand over Shilat so as we can claim the 10 million dollar reward! However, even if we had this kind of money, it is impossible to rebuild lives here as construction materials are still refused access. And then we revert to the possibility of buying a tunnel again. Fowzia can’t believe I went into one of the tunnels, she thinks I am crazy!

With Sabah and Fowzia

Abu singing a traditional lullaby to his grandson Odia

Odia tries the local pipe!

Group photo

The sound of gunfire, from the sea, pierces the evening and a silence descends on the restaurant bringing us back to reality with quite a number of bangs. I ask what it is, and Nazem explains that it is fishermen under attack. Men out trying to fish and make a living and they are being shot at for that. Again, I am outraged. I think back to my last visit - the fishing boats were being shot at then too. I would like to meet some of the fishermen and hear their story and ask if that would be possible. I realise it will be a squeeze as there is still so much to do as it is. Tomorrow is out, it will have to be early on Sunday morning before I leave; very early, about 6 a.m, as that is when the boats come in. Fowzia’s son Raad shows me a video of inside their home after the Israeli soldiers left it. It makes for unbelievable viewing, shocking, terrible. As I watch, Fowzia cries. I put my arm round her and the tears flow. They smashed up the whole of the house, urinated and defecated on the settees, destroyed everything. Such an appalling invasion of privacy, dignity and all decency.

It has been a lovely evening, the shooting and the video apart. I am delighted that everyone has enjoyed themselves tonight. They have learned a little Irish and I have learned a little more Palestinian! I have a great love for these people and I am told I am now like one of the family. They joke as we leave that if anyone could bring Hamas and Fatah together around a table and unity between the people here, I could. I am flattered by their vote of confidence, it would be a tall order, however, I assure them, if they can set up a meeting, before I leave on Sunday, I would certainly be more than happy to give it a go! Bring it on! But not tonight, I am cream crackered, tired to the bone.

Tonight, I open “Heaven speaks to families” from Direction for Our Times, at a section where Our Lady speaks to children. “There are many souls on earth who do not understand that God is the One who is in charge of everything. These people think they are in charge and they are trying to be God. This is a mistake for them and they must change. All people must understand that God created the world and every person in the world. God allows the sun to shine. God allows the rain to fall. If God did not allow these things to happen, these things would stop. We must always thank God for making the world so beautiful for us. When you thank God for making the world and making you, He is happy and He sends even more graces down on the world. Graces are good things that come from heaven. So you must join me, Mary, and ask God for more graces from heaven for the world. Will you do that? Will you help me? Today we will say, “God in heaven, you are the Creator of all things. Please send your graces down upon the world”. I thank you, dear children. I love you very much. I will help you in everything”.

Such beautiful words, simple, true and full of love and tender care, just the way a mother should speak to a child. Yet, how difficult it must be for the children of Gaza to give thanks to God, for their little world is far from beautiful. I ask God to pour down his graces on this little corner of the world. I also ask him especially to watch over my friends and their children.

I am already asleep as my head hits the pillow.

If you are in a position to help any of the families we met during our time in Gaza, please contact us at info@tuesdayschild.co.uk or donate online here »

Continue to read Day 13 »