Looking for Trouble

Women of Gaza share their stories, by Gerri Haynes

(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Seventh in the series.)

How do I begin to write about this day? In my life, it is my honor and privilege to work with a group of women whose children have died. In Gaza, I have met women whose children, mothers, fathers, brothers have died – many from war and siege – and they readily accept the love sent by mothers from the United States. I spent much of today with these women of Gaza – here is one photo and here are some of their stories:

A, whose only daughter died nine months ago at age 13 of lung cancer – believed to be related to toxicity from the Cast Lead attacks. She was the light in her home and her younger brother withdrew completely for months after her death, as he could not be consoled over the loss of his closest sibling.

E, whose husband was killed by a missile during Cast Lead. She is raising their two sons and two daughters. Shortly after her husband died, both of her parents died. She now lives with her husband’s family and describes herself as very patient.

S, whose pregnancy was complicated and a few days after the birth of her daughter, her baby died. Two months later, her mother died. She has three daughters and three sons and grieves the loss of her baby and her mother.

F, whose husband and son were both killed in the same year by Israelis. She says Allah supports us and that she is patient and accepting – raising her five children with very little support.

All of these women describe their children as suffering from the siege: “They can’t concentrate on their studies, they have enuresis, nightmares, are nervous.” One woman described her son as wanting to kill himself. Another said even the most clever children suffer. All worry that more bombing will happen – they live in a constant state of fear.

I, whose mother was recently shot by another Palestinian while sitting with her husband outside her home. Political pressure and cultural beliefs were given as reasons for this killing. All the women note that domestic abuse has risen under the pressure of the siege and so few jobs available. One woman described her advanced university degrees and stated there are no jobs available in her area in Gaza.

O, whose father died of throat cancer. Because of the war, he was unable to leave Gaza for the specialized care his disease required. He tried to go out of Gaza into Israel and into Egypt, but by the time he received permission to enter Egypt (many months were consumed), he died.

J, whose brother and four other family members were killed by missiles from Israeli planes during a funeral. Her brother had been asleep and family members awakened him, telling him he had to go to the funeral. He had just arrived at the ceremony when the attack occurred. His wife and five children survived.

G, whose mother refused to leave her home during warnings issued during Cast Lead. Her home was struck by white phosphorus and she subsequently became ill with cancer – which her family strongly attributes to the white phosphorus.

W, whose mother had lung fibrosis. She was pregnant and miscarried twins. Because of the siege, she was unable to obtain the medicine she needed. She was hospitalized and died on the Eid.

There are many stories. This morning, I met with a family whose three children died when a candle they were burning tipped over, setting the house aflame. The family said the children had asked for light at night and because electricity is often not available, a candle was provided for them.

The caseworker for this family also told of two brothers who were attempting to connect to the Internet to see a soccer game this week – they somehow touched a power source that surged and electrocuted both of these young men. In one month, in one area of Gaza, there are three incidents of multiple deaths related to the severe problems with electricity.

The women I met with today want the people of the United States to know that they are prisoners in Gaza and that they are suffering greatly from the effects of the siege. They enumerate: electrical power is available for only a few hours and only on some days, jobs are needed, life is expensive, spousal abuse is rising, medical care is difficult to obtain, places are needed for children to play – the list is long and sad and hope is difficult to maintain. Still, I heard again and again that Gaza women are patient and that they are taking the best care of their children that they possibly can.

I was received with grace and much affection – I will leave Gaza tomorrow with both joy for having met the people here and great sorrow for the critical situation of life in Gaza.