Facing War Horror ...
Having faced horrible times during the 2008/2009 Operation Cast Lead war on Gaza, where a direct bullet caused a long-life disability of hemiplegia, Ihab Hejji escaped the tanks' shelling with his family for 45 days to avoid another tragedy.
Ihab Hejji, 23, lives in Zaitoun area, East of Gaza City- in the Samouni neighborhood, an area that faced excessive tank shelling during the 2014 Israeli offensive.
Ihab holds a Diploma in Multimedia, and currently is working on an undergraduate degree at the University College of Applied Sciences (UCAS).
“I still cannot forget the hard times during the 2008/2009 war, where it took me long to cope with my disability. In fact, it was only access to education that has helped me in 2011 to recover from a lifetime depression. During the last 51 days, we have faced another horror and a series of brutal attacks. After the 6th day, the shelling started to increase. I finally escaped with my family to a UN school first, then to a relative’s house.”
Over 350,000 families have been displaced in Gaza, with Ihab’s family among them- escaping the fire, leaving all their belonging and businesses behind. Ihab’s father, Nasir, had been granted a microbusiness of “Sheep Breeding” in 2011, where this micro-project developed as the only source of the family income. By 2014, the family had 16 sheep and was generating an average of $300 a month. As the family escaped the house, one tank’s shell hit the building and the sheep’s stable, killing 12 of the sheep. As a final ceasefire was announced on the 26th of August, the family returned to the house, holding out hope for a better future!
Nasir, the 9 family members’ breadwinner, stated, “It’s a big loss having the sheep killed. We had our house slightly damaged, Inch’allah we can recover from this, though we have limited resources. My business is almost destroyed! The rest of the sheep are not eating well after facing the massive sounds of the bombs. As we are back now, I hope this time the ceasefire will hold. We had enough for 51 days. I have never experienced such dreadful times, having my little kids seeing nightmares all the time, and all of them feeling so nervous. We are not sure about the future; we are tired, worried, but we are so much hoping that the best will come.”
Ihab concluded, "I am also shocked that my university has been severely damaged. I feel war has taken its toll on every part of our lives now- my disability, my house, our father's business, and my university! But Inch'allah things will recover and get even better than before."
