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‘I hope there will be no more attacks against us in the Gaza strip. We deserve the right to live in peace’
On May 16, 2021, Israeli raids targeted three residential buildings on Al-Wehda Street in central Gaza City. Credit: Women’s Affairs Centre
Hala Al-Nakhalah (20), a business student from Gaza, has lived through four wars and now devotes her time to helping other survivors of war. Today, on the UN’s International Day of Peace, she calls on the international community to provide Gaza with more support.
Just after midnight on a warm May night, I was watching the news in the living room with my family when explosions erupted around me.
I have never in my whole life heard a stronger sound than it.
Suddenly, the whole house became orange and the curtains were flying. For the first time, I saw my dad was nervous and confused. Usually, my father is a source of great strength and reassurance. But that day, I couldn’t see any source of reassurance.
We left the house because we really had no idea what was happening. It was a very, very tough night. We couldn’t sleep. We were on edge waiting for any news that would reassure us that our neighbours were ok. Unfortunately, a lot of our neighbours were killed.
On May 16, 2021, Israeli raids targeted three residential buildings on Al-Wehda Street in central Gaza City at dawn, leading to the death of 42 Palestinians in one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the ongoing Israeli military aggression on Gaza. The bombardment lasted for 11 days. More than 250 Palestinians were killed, including at least 67 children.
On May 16, 2021, Israeli raids targeted three residential buildings on Al-Wehda Street in central Gaza City. Credit: Women’s Affairs Centre
Home to about two million people, Gaza is 41km long and 10km wide, an enclave bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.
Originally occupied by Egypt, Gaza was captured and occupied by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war. Israel withdrew its troops and around 7,000 settlers in 2005.
Access and movement in the Gaza strip. Credit: OCHA
It is under the control of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which ejected forces loyal to the then governing Palestinian Authority after a violent rift in 2007.
Since then, Israel and Egypt have restricted the movement of goods and people in and out in what they say are security measures against militants but what a UN expert has termed “collective punishment”. These restrictions have crippled Gaza’s economy leaving almost 80% of the population dependant on some form of humanitarian assistance.
Hamas and Israel fought a brief conflict in 2014, and in May 2021 hostilities between the two sides broke out again.
In the last 14 years Hamas and Israel have fought four violent wars (2008-09, 2012, 2014 and 2021) leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians, destroyed homes, and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage to infrastructure such as roads, electricity, sewerage and water-treatment plants.
Despite being just 20-years’old, I have lived through these four wars in my hometown of Gaza.
Most recently, on August 5, 2022, at least 44 people were killed including 15 children, when Israel attacked the besieged Gaza Strip with warplanes.
People in Gaza are constantly trying to recover from previous bombardments while fearing the next one.
During the Israeli aggression, the children and women are among the groups that suffered the most psychological harm. Today, on the International Day of Peace, I ask the international community to provide us with supports to protect these groups in our society. I hope there will be no more attacks against us in the Gaza strip. We deserve the right to live in peace.
I am very grateful to be able to help women and children who are suffering today in Gaza through training from Trócaire partner Women’s Affairs Centre to enhance women’s capacity to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV).
The project, funded by Irish Aid, empowered 31,318 female and male university students to become leaders and agents of change in reducing GBV in the Gaza Strip.
At first, I knew very little about GBV and women’s rights but the training was very useful and it increased my awareness of many things happening around me. The Women’s Affairs Centre gave me a great opportunity to meet with different people and to conduct workshops for housewives, students, lawyers and journalists.
After my training, I was given the chance to deliver workshops on the issues I learned. I never imagined I would have delivered a workshop myself and advise others on gender, women’s rights and the law. This had a great impact on me. Even during Covid-19, we continued to deliver the workshops on Zoom for female students who knew little about women’s rights.
The training has greatly increased my interest in reading books about gender, women’s rights and GBV. I have also become more concerned with issues in my community related to violence and women’s rights.
After each day of training, I would go home to tell my sisters, mother and father about what I learned. It’s great to pass on my knowledge to them. I make sure to tell all my friends too and we have very fruitful conversations about what is happening around us.
Hala Al-Nakhalah (20) received training on women’s empowerment which was funded by Trócaire. Credit: Women’s Affairs Centre
I am very grateful to the Women’s Affairs Centre and Trócaire for giving me the chance to take part in this training funded by Irish Aid. We all deserve to live in a society free from violence.
Hala Al-Nakhalah (20) received training on women’s empowerment which was funded by Trócaire. Credit: Women’s Affairs Centre
