Gazans' New Year Wishes... Stop the War and Restore Life

The wishes of the people of the Gaza Strip for the New Year revolve around the end of the war and the cessation of bloodshed, for the wheel of life that has stopped to turn again, for the sounds of missiles to disappear, for the terror that is spreading everywhere to end, for the routine of life to return to what it was before the war, and for them to return to what remains of their homes, even if they are in rubble.

Displaced families yearn to walk in streets that have become bulldozed and full of holes, for children to go to school, for prayers in mosques, for treatment in hospitals, and they hope for the end of the water and food queues, although they realize that these are wishes that some of them will take many years to come true.

For about a year, Shorouk Walid has been moving between tents and rented houses in the cities of southern Gaza Strip. She hopes that the new year will bring a “calm agreement” so that she can return to her home in Gaza City, which she bought two years before the war, after more than ten years of living in rented houses.

“We hope that the war that made us lose our loved ones, changed our lives, and kept us away from our homes will end,” Shorouq, a mother and housewife, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. “Being forced away from home is a deprivation of the most basic rights and security. I miss my home, and when I see pictures of it on my phone, I contemplate the details, recall memories, and sadly remember our beautiful evenings, and how we suffered to buy it, and paid everything we had for it.”

She added: “My second wish after the war stops is to end the pain of sleeping on the ground, which is a problem that most of the displaced suffer from. Our simple rights, such as washing with hot water, using the bathroom in a humane manner, sitting with the family, or going out for a walk, have become difficult wishes.”

In turn, Imad Mazhar (42 years old), who was walking with his wife in the market in the center of Khan Yunis, describes 2024 as “the worst year of his life,” hoping that 2025 will bring a new beginning that will end the tragedy that the Strip is experiencing. He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “We have come to wish to live as we were before the war because of the Israeli genocide and brutality that was practiced against us. Our lives, despite their simplicity, were beautiful in every sense of the word. We had education, health, and we participated in social events, visited each other, and built our homes and our country.”

Mazhar continues: “I used to work as a tailor, and I was happy with my work, and now I have nothing. The work has stopped, and my house has burned down. You see me walking, but I am living the shock with myself. We have suffered to get everything, even my flour ran out a month and a half ago.”

His wife, Maha Mazhar (37 years old), says: “My wish is for school to be regular. My children were among the top students, and one of them was in first grade and could barely remember the letters. Education is the most important thing to me. Now, where is their future?” She adds to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “We hope that our lives will return to their normal routine. I was displaced to Rafah Governorate in early 2024, then I returned to our home in Khan Yunis Governorate, and I found it burned, and my hopes and dreams burned with it.”

After returning home, Mazhar could not find winter clothes for her children, and clothing them has become a difficult wish to achieve in light of the high prices of clothes. They remain in summer clothes despite the cold, and they suffer from chest and skin diseases due to the lack of a healthy environment. They have been deprived of playing on the land next to their house, which has been occupied by sewage water.

Fathi Abu al-Naja, a 60-year-old man who lives in eastern Khan Yunis, is waiting for the situation to improve and for the war to stop, and for the day when he can sleep without fear of the occupation forces firing bullets or the sounds of shelling. He says while walking around the market to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “Despite all the killing, starvation and displacement we have been through, I am certain that God’s relief is near, and that this war will end.”

Elsewhere, 9-year-old Abdullah Abu Taha queues for water in downtown Khan Younis, and his answer to his New Year’s wish is preceded by an innocent laugh mixed with frustration. “I hope I don’t have to stand in line for water, because I’ve been coming here every day for a year. I want to play football like the other kids,” he says.

His sister Rima (10 years old) adds another wish, which is to find her toys and her home in Rafah intact, and for the displacement journey to end.

Not far away, 9-year-old Walid al-Qahouji dreams of getting rid of the old clothes he wears. He tells Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “I came here from the east of Khan Younis to bring diapers for my little brother. My father is unemployed, and our only concern has become providing daily necessities.” He looks with sad eyes at the clothes hanging in the window of a shop and says: “I want to wear new clothes like those displayed in the shops.”

The majority of the displaced cannot buy winter clothes for their children due to the high prices, as the prices range between 50 and 70 dollars, noting that the price before the war did not exceed 15 dollars.

The wish of the injured Mahmoud Wasfi Nasser (34 years old) seems different from previous wishes, as he does not know what will happen to him in the coming few days, as there is no place to complete his treatment since the occupation army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.

Nasser lives in the harshest conditions. While the shelling does not stop, the beds and walls shake constantly, and the occupation drones fire at the windows, the sick and injured do not find a place for treatment or shelter. He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “My wish, like all people, is for the war to stop, and for me to be able to sleep again instead of the constant nightmare we are living. I wish I could sleep without thinking about an exploding robot, artillery shells, or a sudden incursion by the occupation army. In the winter, times converge, but our time diverges. A month is a year, a day is a week, an hour is a day, and the night passes slowly, as if the clock stops at night.”

New Arab