Amid the sounds of nonstop Israeli bombing, my brother Omar picked the first tomato and cucumber from the small nursery that he established on the roof of his house.
“It was the first salad I had in months,” my brother said during a phone conversation. “I feel like I’ve achieved something on par with Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon.”
Omar had decided not to obey the Israeli army’s orders to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip at the beginning of its genocide on 7 October 2023. He decided to stay in his home.
But Omar was afraid for his wife and children, so he let them flee with my family and me to the southern Gaza Strip.
Since then, other than a few temporary moves for safety reasons, Omar has lived alone in his home…..more
