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Tuesday was the two year anniversary of Hamas's barbaric assault on Israel, and the launch of Israel's devastating military response on Gaza.
The disaster has played out most immediately for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and the families and friends of the Israeli citizens killed or kidnapped by Hamas.
'I Pray to God to Save and Guide Us'
This includes my friend, Nabil, in Gaza, who has just been forced to move his entire family, for the umpteenth time, from Gaza City, to a new shelter further south, following the Israeli Defence Force's instructions for everyone to evacuate Gaza City.
Over the course of the war, Nabil has lost his home, his job, many members of his extended family, and countless friends. He has had numerous close calls with death himself - with bombs frequently missing his shelter by frighteningly close margins. His children's education has been disrupted. At times, they've had barely more than some pitta bread to eat. This summer, his oldest daughter had to be hospitalised due to acute malnutrition.
This week he messaged to tell me that his barber "a kind, humble and innocent man who is 72 years old, was killed with shrapnel as he was walking along a residential street."
Despite all the trauma, he has tried to stay positive, and maintained notes of grace and hope. His deep religious faith has been a constant source of strength. In messages, he has told me how he has prayed "day and night for the war's end", for "the Lord to grant us patience and resilience", and for God to "save and guide us."
'Donald Trump's Plan Will Not End the Gaza Genocide'
The author of The New Age of Genocide, Martin Shaw, on why Trump's 'peace' plan will allow the ongoing destruction and replacement of a Palestinian Gaza
Martin Shaw
'There are No Winners In War'
It also includes former Israeli hostage, Eli Sharabi, who I heard being interviewed on US public radio this morning, describing his hellish experience in captivity, shackled in a subterranean tunnel, with no light, air, running water or sanitation. The most heartbreaking aspect of his kidnapping was that, as he was being taken, he promised his wife and teenage daughters that "I will come back". The hope of seeing his family again kept him strong during his detention. But when he was released earlier this year, he found out that they had all been killed on October 7.
And yet, he has emerged with moral and spiritual strength. In the interview, he said "I love life. I want my life back. Given how much others have endured, and how hard people fought for me, I don't have time to lie in bed feeling sorry for myself." Asked for his views on the current Trump peace plan, he said "after two years, it's time for the war to end. There are no winners in war."
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