This is the cover story for Outlook's 11 January 2024 magazine issue ''We Bear Witness'. To read more stories from the issue, click here
Let me tell you that in war you will lose all the trifles, many of the luxuries, and most of the necessities, and you will be left to think about or care about only the very, very basic necessities. You will not be interested in Facebook and you may find that it is inactive for 90 per cent of the people. As for TikTok, it disappeared from Gaza as if it were a crime punishable by the law. Imagine in Gaza gossip, envy and obsession with others, which are among the pleasures of living for many people, disappeared. Everyone runs from morning to evening to provide their families with food for the day. Compliments, hypocrisy and pretense have fallen. Everyone feels that they may die at any moment and therefore have no energy for compliments, lying or pretense.
You will realise the value of things that were in your hands or that you practiced unconsciously and you will discover that your simple actions were the height of pleasure and you will remember them and dream of their return, such as standing in front of a stove in the morning and turning it on and drinking your coffee quietly with a piece of chocolate next to it. Chocolates disappeared from Gaza weeks ago, with chips and the rest of the family of delicious things. There are only some cleaning powders left in the stores.
You will suddenly discover that your family has forgotten the word “bahebush”—I don’t like it. For example, if you were able to save some money and cook a casserole of cabbage, everyone would devour it as if it were the most delicious food in the world. It goes without saying that this meal previously cost 50 shekels, but today it costs 150 shekels.
The thing you will miss most is your pillow and your bed. You will still dream of returning to them and sleeping one night without the noise of missiles, cannons and non-stop shooting. You will remember television, movies, series, talk shows and plays as if they were a distant dream and a high level of luxury. You will greatly miss the dining room, the bath tub, the window of your house, your good neighbours and your morning walk whether to work, the market, or wherever. You will realise what it means to have a closet, clothes, shoes and a refrigerator. A refrigerator filled with fruits.
You will learn how to bake in a clay oven and taste the new bread. On the way you will learn how to make this oven from clay and straw and get creative with its various designs, types and sizes. There is an oven for baking and a small oven for cooking.
You will learn how to make firewood, the types of firewood, the difference between olive wood and orange wood, the importance of palm leaves in burning and the difference between cooking firewood and bread firewood.
Lentils will return to the forefront of the stores followed by beans.
You will dream of chicken, meat and fish.
You will pass over the most important things unnoticed or without emotion like talking about martyrs. You will talk to your family about the martyrdom of your cousins as if you were telling your wife you were shopping without emotions.
An explosion is shaking the house. I will hug the children…
(By arrangement with Ashtar Theatre, Gaza)
(This appeared in the print as 'An Explosion Is Shaking The House')
