Redwan Abu Asser shares his story of survival, displacement, and the dire conditions faced by Palestinians after the war’s devastation in Gaza.
“Our home was destroyed, so we still can’t return to live there and are still living inside a school that houses displaced people,” says Redwan, who talks to Palestine Chronicle about his life during the Gaza genocide, before and his condition today.
Redwan Abu Asser is from Beit Hanoun, he studied English Education at the Islamic University of Gaza and would go on to become a journalist, and translator, while also working with charitable organizations to distribute aid.
However, as was the case for every Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip, his life was suddenly turned upside down in October of 2023.
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Talking to Palestine Chronicle, he expressed that having grown up in northern Gaza, compared to the hardships he faced over the past 16 months, “our life was relatively peaceful”.
“Despite the difficulties of living under the blockade and with limited resources, there was always a strong sense of community and resilience amongst us, so we enjoyed beautiful moments such as sharing meals with loved ones, walking by the sea, and actually dreaming of a future with more freedom and opportunity,” he added.
For Rewan, the war completely destroyed his ability to work as “it became difficult to even think about anything other than survival”. “We had to first flee our home soon after the bombing had intensified around us”, he said.
Explaining that “when it became too dangerous to stay, my family and I had to leave and seek shelter by searching for a local school to be safe, so we were forced to leave everything behind and it was a very difficult and painful experience.”
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“Alhamdulillah my immediate family are fine, but some of my close relatives were killed and injured while we were all sheltering at a school. We were forced to flee the place and while we left the sounds of the bombing were absolutely terrifying.”
Another major issue that Redwan expressed that he and everyone he knew faced was food insecurity:
“The access to food had become very limited since the war started. At first we had some supplies, but as time passed it became very difficult to find what was enough for our basic needs. After two months of the war, food began to become scarce… we spent months without flour or clean drinking water, we were forced to eat pet food and even that was very expensive to buy.”
One thing Redwan stressed was that the conditions that he and his family are living in are still dire. “We are still staying in a school with many many other displaced people and the space is very limited”, he says, adding that “access to basic needs is scarce, we still barely have access to water and even the water we have is not clean, even getting ahold of clothes and sanitary products is a challenge, as there aren’t many available and the prices to buy them are very high when they are available.”
As for medication, he says that they are reliant on aid organizations but that it is mostly unavailable.
“You have to understand the impact the war had, with constant drones, shooting and bombings everywhere, there was no safe place to go, our lives became unbearable.”
When asked what a day in his life looks like, he chose to answer on behalf of what he viewed to be that of the average Palestinian living in his area:
“We wake up trying to find some wood, or anything so you can light a fire to cook, we have to walk a long distance to get some water, especially for the children, so the situation is really unbearable and unimaginable. If you need something urgents like food, water, clothes or medicine, it’s not there for you. Many of us are in need of a tent or anything to take shelter, because our homes have been destroyed during the invasion. These are the issues each day. Words cannot describe how we have to live as Gazans.”
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Redwan also stressed that he hoped his message would reach the world so that they can show solidarity:
“The people of Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering and our lives have been shattered by the war. Our people urgently need tents right now because there’s no shelter for them and their families after their homes were completely destroyed. So please try to help us, we are human beings who are just trying to live in a peaceful world like you and we need your support so that we can build a beautiful life here after this unspeakable destruction.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.
