In the Al-Mawasi space, west of Khan Younis, Tony Al-Masri, generally known as Uncle Tony, sits along with his spouse, Amal Aboud, and neighbor, Hossam Al-Khalili, in entrance of their small tent. They sip espresso and reminisce in regards to the Christmas celebrations they missed for one more yr.
Uncle Tony, 78, was first displaced in the course of the Nakba in 1948 from his hometown of Haifa to the Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. His household was compelled to flee to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the place they lived in Dbayeh camp, earlier than returning to the Gaza Strip.
“This just isn’t the primary time I’ve misplaced my residence and my family members,” he stated UN News.
Remember the happiness and pleasure that stuffed Gaza in the course of the vacation season earlier than the seemingly infinite struggle.
“We celebrated Christmas, went to church for rituals and exchanged greetings. The priest can be current amongst us within the churchyard. Our neighbors in Gaza City would need us effectively yearly.”
He says that he used to journey to Bethlehem to go to his kids and grandchildren, “however now, for the second yr, now we have been disadvantaged of holidays due to the struggle.”
He says he and his spouse Amal Aboud used to brighten a Christmas tree in the course of the vacation season and stayed up late on Christmas Eve, shopping for cookies, muffins and different sweets.
“The celebrations would start after midnight. We made dinner, sat collectively, and had my little kids by my facet. But now there is no such thing as a one right here. My spouse and I’ll sit alone and have fun and have nobody else round. That’s the toughest factor for me proper now.”
No joys, no smiles
Amal provides that day by day within the Gaza Strip has been a problem for the reason that battle started in October 2023.
“There isn’t any pleasure, no smiles, no holidays, no something. We are merely defying time. At evening, if you are sleeping, you all of the sudden hear a loud explosion. You bounce up like a madman. You do not know what to do. You pull your self collectively and cry, however you possibly can’t return to sleep. There isn’t any protected place to relaxation. There isn’t any life. There is nothing that makes you cheerful or snug.”
Uncle Tony along with his spouse Amal and their neighbor Hossam drink tea.
A household you select
Despite the cruel situations, the solidarity of Muslim neighbors within the camp west of Khan Younis presents a glimmer of hope.
Hossam Al-Khalili, Uncle Tony’s neighbor in Gaza City earlier than the displacement, sought out his Christian neighbor after his circle of relatives was displaced in Rafah. After studying that Tony was in Khan Younis, Mr Al-Khalili determined to maneuver close by.
“He is sort of a father to me. I introduced him nearer to me within the camp as a result of he’s an outdated man who wants somebody to maintain him and his spouse. I approached him in order that my kids and I may assist help him,” she says.
“We eat and drink collectively and stay as one household. I assist him with all the pieces he wants, together with going to the market to do the procuring.
Uncle Tony along with his spouse Amal and their neighbor Hossam have dinner collectively
A want for peace
Overwhelmed by nostalgia, Uncle Tony expresses his hope for peace and an early finish to the struggle.
“I hope that 2025 might be a yr of fine for all nations, particularly the Palestinian folks. I hope that the bloodshed and wars will finish and that individuals will as soon as once more expertise the enjoyment of the vacations. May God have mercy on all those that misplaced their lives in struggle,” he says.
“My want is that the nice days return, that I can journey to see my grandchildren, my daughters and my sons. This is my biggest want.”
