foggy sunset

Rafif is terrified by everything happening around her. The sound of constant bombardment never stops, and the stray dogs roaming the streets make her fear even greater. Even sleep has become a luxury—we close our eyes with fear in them and wake up with hearts exhausted by endless anxiety. Please, don’t leave us alone. Remember Rafif in your prayers. Even a kind word or a single dot in the comments reminds us that someone sees us, hears us, and cares. Right now, a sincere prayer may be the only thing keeping our hope alive.

The Korowai people live in the inaccessible jungle in the southeast of the Indonesian province of Papua, about 150 kilometres inland from the Arafura Sea. They build homes over 30 meters high in the jungle canopy. [📹 Aníbal Bueno]

How many more times will we escape death? Yesterday, another massacre happened right in front of the camp where we are living in Nuseirat. My brother and I had just left, on our way to the pharmacy. In a single second, everything changed. People were screaming. I stood there in shock. I could barely see through the smoke. I could hear cries all around me, but I couldn't even tell whose voices they were. The first thing I did was check my own body to make sure I hadn't been hit by shrapnel. Then I started shouting my brother's name over and over, but I couldn't find him. Right in front of me were the torn bodies of those who had been killed. I rushed toward them, terrified that my brother might be among them. I swear, the scene was so horrific and the bodies were so badly torn apart that I couldn't recognize anyone. Then, suddenly, I heard that my brother had been searching for me too. The painful truth is that this scene is repeated every single day in Gaza. Every day. But no one sees, and no one hears. At this stage, it feels as though the occupation is treating our lives like a game as if they are practicing on us. What is happening is beyond words. In many ways, it feels even worse than the early days of the war. This time, we survived. But what about the next time? Will we survive again?

One of the most dangerous and terrifying things we are facing in Gaza right now is that every strike is resulting in a much higher number of casualties and injuries compared to before. It is no longer the same as it used to be, because we have all been forced into a small area that does not exceed 30% of Gaza’s total area, with an unbearable and unnatural level of overcrowding. Any strike or airstrike today can turn into a disaster within moments, because huge numbers of people are living in the same areas, and we no longer have places to escape to or hide. Every street and every crowded place has become a real danger to us. Even walking through the streets has become more dangerous than ever. Leaving home to take care of the simplest needs now carries the possibility of injury or death, as if every step we take could be our last. Every day, more areas are being taken over, the space around us becomes smaller, and our chances of survival become fewer. We feel trapped inside a small area, being hunted from the sky at any moment. We are living through a reality that cannot be described, a reality where staying alive has become a matter of luck. Every day we wake up not knowing if we will make it to the end of the day, or if we will lose someone else from our families. How long will we continue living this life? How long will this fear and endless waiting continue? We only want to live a normal life to walk in the streets without fear.

Do you truly see what is happening here in Gaza right now, or are you choosing to ignore it? Did you see the video of the little girl earlier? How were you able to continue your day after seeing it? How can anyone witness all of this and then return to their life as if nothing happened? I can’t anymore. I feel like my mind is going to break from the weight of everything we experience every single day. I am exhausted by this life. The days we are living now are no different from the days of war; they are exactly the same. The same attacks, the same suffering, the same hospitals filled with wounded people, the same cries of children, and the same fear that follows us every moment. What hurts me more than anything is that the world has become used to these scenes. Images of children, the dead, and hospitals overflowing with the injured pass in front of everyone without anything changing. Yet if a cat were harmed somewhere else in the world, hearts would break, social media would be filled with sadness, and aid campaigns would begin. Treat our children with the same compassion you show your animals, at least. I am tired of posting, tired of speaking, tired of shouting, as if our voices no longer reach anyone. We are completely under siege. The crossings are closed, and we are not allowed to travel or escape. The sea is closed, and the sky above us is filled only with aircraft that continue to strike us without stopping. Even the ability to leave is no longer something we have. Where is the law the world speaks about? Where is justice? Where are the religions that call for mercy? Where is the human conscience? Why have the hearts of the world become so hardened? Why has everyone become accustomed to these scenes coming every day from Gaza’s hospitals? Please… this is a plea from a person living through this pain. Write, share, speak, do anything. Do not remain silent. We are dying now… dying in Gaza.

Sometimes I walk the streets alone, reminiscing, walking around in a devastated world, weeping bitterly over what happened to us; it's genocide.

Now, My God... another massacre is unfolding before the eyes of the world. The streets are filled with the bodies of innocent people, as if death is chasing everyone in its path. It is a heartbreaking scene that tears the soul apart. How much longer will this endless bloodshed continue?