Today is International World Refugee Day, or as I heard someone say on the radio this morning, “International world refugee day, whatever that means.” I don’t know if he was being ironic, but if he was, I get it. So many differently designated days throughout the year (Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day, anyone?) […]
Where do we go after Rafah?
Today marks 235 days since Israel launched its war against Gaza. After the horrific Israeli airstrike fireball that burnt people alive in their tents on Sunday, all eyes are now on the city of Rafah. I know Rafah; I used to hang out there regularly, especially with my friend Faiza and her family. They lived […]
What hope now inside Gaza?
As Israel’s war against Gaza hits six months, I have many friends trapped inside the Strip, all desperate to escape. They are in the South, mainly in Al-Mawasi, a strip of coast and sand dunes I know well, close to the city of Khan Yunis. When I lived in Gaza, I used to swim at […]
Discount-ing Gaza
The price for escaping Gaza has recently dropped. It was a whopping $10,000 per person, but has gone down – first to $7,000 – and now it hangs at about $5,000. This ‘coordination fee‘ per person, to move from Gaza into Egypt via the Rafah Crossing is still way beyond what most Palestinians inside Gaza […]
