Gone: the Gaza I loved


Palestinians salvaging what's left of their belongings amid the ongoing bombing of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, Dec 2. — Reuters

A MERE three months ago, we had the rare privilege of visiting our family in the Gaza Strip, a place I’ve always romanticised despite the more than 16-year-long blockade, preceded by 55 years of Israeli military occupation.

Even though we were displaced to Gaza as refugees from Ashkelon, it still represents home to me. As a Palestinian-American who holds a Gaza ID, I can’t enter Gaza through Israel and I can’t exit without Israel’s permission.

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