I have long relied on writing as a means to express my feelings and experiences, serving as my way of connecting with others. This poem reflects the harsh realities we face during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
After seven months of living in a tent in the southern sector, having “lost” our home in Gaza City and our longtime family home in Khan Younis refugee camp in the Israeli onslaught, my father decided to cultivate the land as a form of resilience and belonging. This effort also aimed to provide some crops amidst the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation, which restricts our access to essential food supplies. We grew peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, arugula, okra, molokhia (jute leaves), and watermelons near our tent. Mint and basil, deeply tied to the essence of our land, are indispensable in our diet. ….more
