THE National has obtained harrowing audio clips from Oxfam staff trapped in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war wages around them.
The conflict has already claimed at least 2200 lives on both sides, with fears it could escalate further.
The audio diaries from Gaza speak for themselves. We hear from Fidaa Al-Araj, a mother of five who says the whole ordeal already feels like it has lasted weeks or even months already.
She added: “I couldn't even sleep. I felt I was guarding their [my children’s] sleep. That, if I slept for a bit, something would happen.”
The National has obtained harrowing audio testimony from civilians in Gaza, scared for their lives and those of their children 🔊"I just want to send this voice message, in case it's the last one ever." pic.twitter.com/AO9blyYZkh
— The National (@ScotNational) October 11, 2023
For Najla Shawa, her kids are also the priority. She describes handling “how they deal with the fear, and the potential physical damage” as bombs rain around them.
For Omar Ghrieb, the nights are the worst.
He said: “The blasts are very loud and continuous, they reverberate very loudly and you hear the children – not just in our building, but in the whole neighborhood – crying and screaming with no solace.”
He added: “And it doesn't seem close to any end.”
Eman Shannan speaks with the faint drone of what seems like airplanes overhead.
She described the mass evacuations going on in Gaza. Two days ago, the United Nations said over 120,000 people have been internally displaced due to concerns over their protection and the destruction of homes.
Shannan has taken in five people in her home.
She said: “I hope that we will survive to tell the story.”
In a later voice message, Al-Araj says that it may be the “last one ever that we send”.
She added: “What's happening now, as I am speaking, is a massacre – butchering. It’s like a doomsday.”
The National will be following along – in our new series, Diaries from Gaza, as these brave civilians update us on what is happening on the ground as this bloody and devastating war continues.
