In the aftermath of war, Gaza's people are picking up the pieces—of their homes, their families, and their lives. These 20 snapshots show what survival looks like and what it costs.
I'm sitting on the side of a road in an industrial area of Santa Clara, California, listening to the finches and juncos and crows in the trees lining the road as I read this and cry. These snapshots feel as real to me as the smell of diesel from the buses and the cool breeze and the chatter of the birds. Across the street from me is a lemon tree, and that tree ties me across the ocean to the lost lemon trees in Gaza. It seems loss and hope and grief of this depth has a gravitational pull, like a star, like the young girl and her friends playing in the street and pulling the adults out to watch a fragile future. I don't know what to say but that we are writing and fighting and praying for you and your homeland and your people, Mohammed. Thank you so sincerely for sharing and pulling our hearts into a tighter web with yours.
Mohammed, thank you so much for this. These are the stories we need to hear, heartbreaking though they are. Please keep taking these snapshots and posting them. Please. Everyone's story matters.
Lost for words. Just tears behind my eyes waiting to fall as my heart contracts with every word I read. I only wish for rezki to support your writing. Please don't stop making your life and that of Gazans real for us watching from across the world. May He make each day better than the one before. May peace come to Gaza soon.
My heart bursts with love for each one of these brave Palestinians. I am so sorry for their immense losses and I marvel at their resilient ability to find hope and solace in the smallest things. These people are Gods angels on earth .💗
With all of the awfulness you have all been through, your strength and honesty touch my soul. I can never begin to imagine, but I pray. For peace, for food/aid to come for all of you. My heart breaks when our president talks of taking over Gaza. I apologize for his ignorance and arrogance. You should be allowed to stay and rebuild YOUR homes, schools and fields/businesses.
Thank you Mohammed from the bottom and top and all the sides of my aching heart. These are beautiful portraits of Palestinian resilience and hope. Please keep up this holy work of testimony. In’shallah
Thank you for the insights. I love every word of your last few paragraphs. The whole writing is like a book in itself. Grief and resilience. Both painful and hope-giving.
More than pictures, your intimate writing moments take us into the hearts of Palestinians. Thank you, Mohammed. May we find a peaceful way to ensure your future in Palestine.
I am a young African-American and Indigenous girl from a southern state. I recently lost my youngest brother, who was 19, to a cycle of violence that happens to us in silence, erased from the going ons of America and buried underneath racism and anti-blackness. I grieve him every day, and yet I’m reminded I share this story with so many others. I read these words as a writer and storyteller and I am thankful someone is giving voice to what needs to be said.
I feel the hope and the life of an indigenous people amidst the suffering and the sorrow, and I feel the pain of a preventable loss greatly although I do not share the circumstances. I pray to see the full freedom of your country returned in this lifetime. May we all be free of the misery of colonial empires in opening our eyes and ears. Thank you for your diligent work in collecting these stories.
JazakAllahKhair (may Allah SWT reward you goodness) for sharing such beautiful peoples stories. They are heart touching. InShaAllah, no one can defeat Palestinians.
I'm sitting on the side of a road in an industrial area of Santa Clara, California, listening to the finches and juncos and crows in the trees lining the road as I read this and cry. These snapshots feel as real to me as the smell of diesel from the buses and the cool breeze and the chatter of the birds. Across the street from me is a lemon tree, and that tree ties me across the ocean to the lost lemon trees in Gaza. It seems loss and hope and grief of this depth has a gravitational pull, like a star, like the young girl and her friends playing in the street and pulling the adults out to watch a fragile future. I don't know what to say but that we are writing and fighting and praying for you and your homeland and your people, Mohammed. Thank you so sincerely for sharing and pulling our hearts into a tighter web with yours.
I love that ‘pulling out hearts into a tighter web with yours’❤️
Mohammed, thank you so much for this. These are the stories we need to hear, heartbreaking though they are. Please keep taking these snapshots and posting them. Please. Everyone's story matters.
Lost for words. Just tears behind my eyes waiting to fall as my heart contracts with every word I read. I only wish for rezki to support your writing. Please don't stop making your life and that of Gazans real for us watching from across the world. May He make each day better than the one before. May peace come to Gaza soon.
My heart bursts with love for each one of these brave Palestinians. I am so sorry for their immense losses and I marvel at their resilient ability to find hope and solace in the smallest things. These people are Gods angels on earth .💗
This made me properly cry for the first time in months, beautiful and so sad at the same time.
With all of the awfulness you have all been through, your strength and honesty touch my soul. I can never begin to imagine, but I pray. For peace, for food/aid to come for all of you. My heart breaks when our president talks of taking over Gaza. I apologize for his ignorance and arrogance. You should be allowed to stay and rebuild YOUR homes, schools and fields/businesses.
Many blessings to you and your beautiful country.
This just breaks my heart. ❤️
I'm so sorry that my government is inhabited by monsters. I did not vote for either monster.
Thank you Mohammed from the bottom and top and all the sides of my aching heart. These are beautiful portraits of Palestinian resilience and hope. Please keep up this holy work of testimony. In’shallah
Thank you for the insights. I love every word of your last few paragraphs. The whole writing is like a book in itself. Grief and resilience. Both painful and hope-giving.
Thank you for sharing every single one of their stories
It's NOT WAR... IT'S A BRUTAL GENOCIDAL SECOND HOLOCAUST
Made me cry!!! I am sharing with my local MPs, LBC Radio, the BBC, Al Jazeera and Haaretz!
More than pictures, your intimate writing moments take us into the hearts of Palestinians. Thank you, Mohammed. May we find a peaceful way to ensure your future in Palestine.
I am a young African-American and Indigenous girl from a southern state. I recently lost my youngest brother, who was 19, to a cycle of violence that happens to us in silence, erased from the going ons of America and buried underneath racism and anti-blackness. I grieve him every day, and yet I’m reminded I share this story with so many others. I read these words as a writer and storyteller and I am thankful someone is giving voice to what needs to be said.
I feel the hope and the life of an indigenous people amidst the suffering and the sorrow, and I feel the pain of a preventable loss greatly although I do not share the circumstances. I pray to see the full freedom of your country returned in this lifetime. May we all be free of the misery of colonial empires in opening our eyes and ears. Thank you for your diligent work in collecting these stories.
JazakAllahKhair (may Allah SWT reward you goodness) for sharing such beautiful peoples stories. They are heart touching. InShaAllah, no one can defeat Palestinians.
I never ceased to be amazed at the beauty and resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of overwhelming suffering.