On the afternoon of 5 October, Israeli air strikes began to target the al-Faluja area of Jabaliya in northern Gaza where I lived.
At first, we thought they were the “normal” raids and that they would subside. But, as night fell, the bombardment intensified greatly, dashing our expectations. The sky was filled with warplanes and drones.
At midnight, there was a knock on the door of our house. It was my cousin Karam and his family, who had had to leave their home because it had been struck on the roof by a missile. They escaped what they presumed to be certain death to take refuge with us.
It was a difficult night. We had to stay away from any windows, because there was shrapnel and bullets flying everywhere. We all stayed in one room, stuck together and prayed for safety. …..more
