A PALESTINIAN Oxfam worker has described how it felt returning to Gaza for the first time in nine months.
The latest in our Diaries from Gaza series, Wassem Mushtaha said it was a “deeply emotional experience” returning to northern Gaza with the help of various UN agencies.
“When we first entered the first area, the area was filled with destruction. Buildings were destroyed, everywhere,” the aid worker said.
READ MORE: Diaries from Gaza: ‘We ask ourselves every day: Are we next?’
“The streets were covered in sewage and sand, pollution was everywhere and the air carried a heavy sense of despair everywhere.”
Mushtaha (above) added that “many people were struggling to find food and clean water”.
“I went through a market and we found only some canned foods at high prices that most people can’t access due to lack of cash,” he said.
“One of the most striking moments was meeting Oxfam teams there for the first time. I met with the three colleagues who stayed in Gaza and didn't leave since the beginning of the war.
“It was a mix of emotion: happiness to be back and connect with the team but overwhelming sadness at the massive destruction, so many hopes and livelihoods were shattered and the loss of people was deeply felt.
“The visit was only for three hours and we returned back the same day. However, if I'm talking about my feelings about the impact of the war, about the situation of people in Gaza, maybe I need 33 years to talk about what I saw during the three hours in terms of infrastructure, in terms of need, in terms of suffering, in terms of sadness, in terms of hopelessness, in terms of everything.”
Mushtaha said that what inspired him the most was the people of Gaza.
“In spite of all the challenges that they faced during this massive war, they are still strong, they are fighting to still live, they are fighting to access food and water,” he said.
“They are creating innovative ideas to overcome the situation in Gaza. They are doing everything to protect themselves and their children.”
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