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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
James Walker

I live in Gaza. Here's why I have mixed feelings about the ceasefire

I FIRST heard from Ghada Al-Haddad in January last year about the struggles of being displaced in Gaza amid Israel’s brutal assault.

She spoke of the struggles her family was facing, from the spread of diseases to a lack of proper medication.

Now, she has told us that she has mixed feelings amid the ceasefire in the latest from our Diaries from Gaza series.

“Honestly, once I heard the announcement of a ceasefire, I felt happy,” she said (below).

“Yet, my feelings and my emotions are not. Or are beyond words. I experienced a kind of a mixture of feelings – of happiness, of sorrow, of fear.

“I cried for everything we have endured in the past 15 months.”

Al-Haddad added: “It hasn't been an easy war for us and there is a deep sadness that lingers in our hearts and our minds.

“We have lost so many. Some people are still missing. Some people were taken by the occupation army. Some people were killed.

She went on: “While I was relieved that the bloodshed and the violence may finally come to an end, I feel a deep sadness for the precious lives that we have lost during this war.

“I wish that justice and accountability for all those affected is given and granted.

“And I hope that this ceasefire will hold and not fall apart again.”

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