LIKE other Palestinians and Israelis with family members in Palestine/Israel, I have found the latest and unprecedented outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas hitting closer and closer to home. My dread became reality on Oct 20 upon hearing from Tanya, one of my relatives. Her family lost a loved one who had been sheltering in the Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza, one of the world’s oldest churches. An Israeli airstrike hit one of the four compounds of the church, killing 18 Palestinian Christians, and injuring at least 20.
Amidst the grief, Tanya reminded us to celebrate Aunt Elaine, our relative, who was a devoted teacher and school principal. She was killed in the bombing. Tanya said: “Gaza is all our family. The neighbourhood was bombed. The walls are standing but our homes are destroyed. This time is beyond anything we’ve witnessed, and we all thought we witnessed the worst.”
