Looking for Trouble

Completing our work in Gaza – realizing there is no completion, by Gerri Haynes

(Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility has traveled to Gaza since 1993. Since 2009, following the Cast Lead invasion by Israel, WPSR has sponsored nine medical delegations to serve the people of Gaza.)

Slowly we complete our work here in Gaza – realizing there is no completion. How we wish for open borders and justice for the people here.

We will pass through the checkpoint tomorrow – all of our luggage will be thoroughly searched and we will be questioned about our time here, but we will emerge through the freedom of our blue passports to return to the US.

Tonight, we celebrated with Gaza Community

Mental Health staff and many people from the professional community of Gaza. We thanked them for welcoming us to their home and looked forward with them to meeting another time.

We had spent the day working and visiting friends. Over and over, the grace and kindness of Gaza’s imprisoned people amazes us. It is stunning that the more than 1.8 million citizens here can cope with the reality that their borders are closed, their industry is denied, their water is undrinkable and that there is little evidence of hope for change in the near future.

Young adults all over Gaza form structured play

groups for children – groups whose goal is to teach resilience. No one pays for these groups – they are simply the work of unbroken and brilliant spirits. The young adults of Gaza inspire us.

The world must know of the grave injustice being carried out against the people of Gaza. Basic human rights are denied here every day by the collective punishment of the siege and we know that the work of small groups such as ours will be unnecessary when the siege ends and human rights are restored to Gaza. For now, though, we are grateful to have participated even briefly in the lives of these courageous people.

The friends we part from are brave – they have

much to teach the world about love.