Gaza girl
Date 14 October 2023, Time- 11 am. I feel as if I am dead, but I am breathing.
Tasneem Ismail Ahel, who lives in Gaza, is only 19 years old, at this age she has seen 5 wars. He has sent this audio message to the New York Times on WhatsApp. Tasneem has recorded and shared in daily audio messages whatever was happening in Gaza for 2 weeks. She described how the area around her home and her city were transformed by Israeli attacks.
For many Palestinians living in Gaza, WhatsApp and other social media sites are the only means through which they can show their situation to the world. Tasneem’s audio messages reveal how the war has affected her life.
Tasneem has narrated the entire story of her sister Malak’s birthday amidst the war, the death of one of her friends and finding a shelter amidst the bombings…
In her message dated October 14, Tasneem said-
“I miss my old life a lot. I used to be very clean, but now that can’t happen here. Everything was normal in my life. I want to stay like that. I want to take bath and get ready like usual, but everything is getting worse here. Now this cannot be tolerated.
After this Tasneem sent the next message at around 9 pm. The New York Times reported that Tasneem used to send several messages simultaneously. Sometimes this was a file of 16 and sometimes 24 audios. Sometimes only 5 messages would come. Actually, these files used to reach late due to weak network. Israel has stopped electricity supply in Gaza. Because of this, communication has been greatly affected. Gaza girl
“It’s around 9:30 at night. There is only me, my cousin Reema and younger sister Yumna here. Everyone else is sleeping. We are awake to protect them. It’s our shift to wake up today. We are very tired. Just want to sleep for a while, but this is not possible. We cannot sleep because we do not know when, where and how the next bombing will happen. That’s why I am recording this message. It is possible that this may be my last message and it is also possible that I may send such messages again. Gaza girl
Tasneem never stepped outside Gaza
This is not the first or second battle of Tasneem’s life but the fifth. Meanwhile, he is afraid that this time he might die. According to the New York Times, Tasnim is among the generation that was born amid the Israeli occupation. Due to all these reasons, he, his parents, his 5 younger brothers and sisters and about 2 million Palestinians are trapped in the Gaza Strip. Tasneem has never been able to go out of Gaza till date and fears that it may never happen. Gaza girl
I don’t know why they attacked my favorite Al-Rimal restaurant. By doing this they have also taken away many of my best memories from me. They have taken away my night, my daily routine, my drawings and paintings. They have also taken away from me the time when I used to just sit and write stories about myself and make plans for my future. Gaza girl
Tasneem grew up in the al-Rimal area of Gaza. She was studying at Al-Azhar University, one of the best colleges in Gaza. However, she has not been able to go to college since the war started. Despite many restrictions, Tasnim had always imagined her life outside the fencing and concrete boundaries that surround Gaza.
”Today is 13th October. It is 9 o’clock at night. This is the seventh day of attack on Gaza. They have attacked in our neighborhood itself. Many people died without warning. A building was also destroyed. At present people are being searched among the debris. This is all very scary because they were right in the house next door to us. Then my father had gone out with an uncle. I don’t want to lose anyone from my family. I miss studying anatomy, physiology and other subjects. I had many dreams and hopes. All this has been taken away from me in the last 7 days.
Tasneem wants to become a dentist, she is also fond of painting and writing.
Tasneem’s dreams for her future include a dual passion for science and art. She wants to study dentistry abroad. Along with this, she also wants to move ahead in painting, singing and writing. Tasneem could have been an excellent candidate for America’s Ivy League colleges, but with every war in Gaza, people’s dreams also turn into debris like buildings. Gaza girl
Within the last two weeks, Tasneem and her family have left their apartment and shifted to an uncle’s house. The area around Tasneem’s house was destroyed in the 2021 fighting. His university is also closed now. Gaza city is now turning into a ghost city. Gaza girl
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“We keep hearing that we should shift from the North to the South of Gaza. I and my family are not going anywhere. This is the seventh day of the war and I am heartbroken. I miss my old house and every corner and everything related to it very much. I also miss lying comfortably on my bed, sitting in the living room and doing nothing. I miss my life before these missiles. This is a tragedy, a massacre.”
Tasneem’s family has no money to go anywhere else
Israel has asked people in Gaza to vacate the area. He has announced that those who did not go will be considered terrorists. Meanwhile, Tasneem’s family has decided to stay there. In fact, Tasneem’s family cannot afford to leave the area and move to another place.
Currently, about 16 relatives have taken shelter in Tasneem’s uncle’s house. They fear that if they leave from there, they will not be able to arrange accommodation for so many people at another place. On Wednesday, Tasneem told about the bombing outside her apartment. This revealed how close Palestinian families are living to the blasts. However, he did not send audio messages this time. Instead he sent some messages in Arabic. Gaza girl
5:23 pm- “We are under continuous attack at the moment. Air strikes are happening one after the other.
5:24 pm – “We still don’t know what’s going on.” We are currently on the second floor. This is all very scary.”
