Gaza Family Dreams of Safe Life Amidst War
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Gaza Ceasefire: A Family’s Hope for a Safe Future
Table of Contents
The Sound of Hope: Celebrations in Khan Younis
When Manal Rizq called her brother Waleed in Gaza this afternoon, there was music playing in the background. This is not usual, but news of a peace deal and an impending ceasefire has led to impromptu celebrations in the tented camp in Khan Younis where her mother, two brothers and their families live.
“Usually they cannot put the music on loud,but now they are not afraid,they’re trying to live that feeling,” Manal explained.
Manal asked on the video call: ”how are you feeling now Waleed?”
“We are very happy to hear the ceasefire is finally here,” he replied.
Documenting Life Under Conflict
For the past few weeks Manal and Waleed have been documenting their lives for RTÉ News, providing a personal and poignant account of the realities of the conflict.
Meet the family
Manal is a 25-year-old smart systems engineer, originally from Rafah in Gaza, who is now living in Dublin. Waleed is her 31-year-old brother, who works as an emergency care nurse in Khan Younis, where the family members still in Gaza moved during the war.
Displacement and Loss
Their home in Rafah was destroyed in the conflict. Now Waleed, his wife Amna and their three children, Eileen and twins Lena and lana, his mother and siblings’ families live together in tents.
in a video today, Waleed described how, for the past two years, they had “lived in fear”.
“Now we can finally dream of a safe life for my three little girls where they can sleep, learn and just be kids again,” he said.
“I hope we can rebuild our lives and that I will see my sister Manal soon and hug her again,” he said.
The Frontline Experience: A Nurse’s Outlook
Just last weekend,Waleed described how “every day” had brought “new challenges and pain”.
“The hospital is full of injured people and we often work under bombing, with limited supplies and no rest. It is physically and emotionally exhausting but we keep going because I know that every minute can save a life,” he said.