Friday, January 09, 2009

On Hold in Gaza: The Story of Iyas Salim

Dick Gordon and the crew of the "Story" aired another great piece on NPR's NC station, WUNC, with a contact I put them in touch with in northern Gaza:

"They learn the big words. They should know why their city is attacked. Even if you hide it, it wouldn't make a difference, they see it with their own eyes," says Iyas of his kids, something I can relate to in my conversations with Yousuf.

For almost two weeks, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip. Now tanks have entered the territory. Iyas Salim, like many Gazans, has been holed up in a high-rise apartment with extended family. During yesterday's brief cease fire, he emerged for the first time in days, he and his wife squinting in the sunlight. Iyas talks with Dick Gordon about how he and his family keep the kids safe and entertained while the bombs fall, and how he answers their questions about why all of this is happening to them.

Listen here.

9 Comments:

Blogger vahid jalili said...

http://gazaposters.wordpress.com/

1:21 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

There are some other voices in Gaza.

I live in Tel Aviv and have a good friend living in Gaza city. I've met her 15 years ago and since then we keep in touch. We call each other from time to time. I used to send her kids clothes and books (before Hamas era).

I check on her and her family, once every few days (her cell phone often goes off).

She is at home, without a shelter, suffering like the rest of the people in Gaza. She told me that Hamas is mainly the enemy of the people of Gaza. That they are afraid to raise their voice and cannot speak freely. Hamas people are now executing men from Fattah. They kill them without trial and call their family to come and pick the body.
As hallucinatory as it sounds (even to Israeli ears) she told me she is praying that Israel will bring to downfall of Hamas regime.

3:43 PM  
Blogger Marjan said...

Dear Leila, I am an iranian girl, My family and I have been following up the news about Gaza, the only thing we(Iranian) could do was to send some food and things to Gaza, Pray for the people and take part in the demonstrations, ..the biggest difference between mulslims and zionism is that they have no faith in godd, thats why they are so frightened and scared that they try to equipo them selves with more and more military things,..but the people in gaza have faith,..they belive in god and that this situations wont stay like this and will change one day..and we believe that day isn't too far..israel is a murderer, a lier who lies to his own people and a looser who will be vanished from the maps sooner or later..
wishing you and every palestinian health and peace and days with a free palestine..my weblog : www.dailydiary.blogfa.com

4:43 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

We are with you
All of us
we are ready to help our brothers and sisters
I know that the israeelies are saying very big lies.
You know Israeel is itself a big lie,a big lie that they have belieaved it
But dont worry
They are losers
You are winners
be SURE
You have God
But they dont
Only wait
God is with patiants
ان الله مع الصابرین
حبیب
ایران

5:24 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

We are with you
All of us
We are ready to help our brothers and sisters
I know that the israeelies are saying very big lies.
You know Israeel is itself a big lie,a big lie that they have belieaved it
But dont worry
They are losers
You are winners
be SURE
You have God
But they dont
Only wait
God is with patiants
ان الله مع الصابرین
habib
IRAN

5:44 PM  
Blogger AGATHA said...

My name is Agatha, I live in Argentina, Buenos Aires. Only I queria that you know that my people(village) accompanies on the heart on the Palestinian reason and waits for the end(purpose) of this horrible massacre (because it is not a war). All our love for you and your dear beings .. a lot of force and that God the bendiga

6:31 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I dont know what we can do...
we just can ask God to help...
I was reading Quran,Hashr,I wish it happens again.
they destry themselves.

اَلّهمَ عجّل لِولیک الفَرج



Sara-Iran

6:54 PM  
Blogger Helena Cobban said...

I truly do not believe a word the commenter "Smiley" wrote above. She claims to have a "friend" in Gaza with whom she speaks every few days and that "Hamas people are now executing men from Fattah. They kill them without trial and call their family to come and pick the body. As hallucinatory as it sounds (even to Israeli ears) she told me she is praying that Israel will bring to downfall of Hamas regime."

During the mass funeral yesterday held for many of the casualties from the families killed in Zeitoun, some of the bodies were covered with Hamas flags, some with Fateh flags... and they were lying there all together with everyone around praying together for the souls of all the departed. No-one felt "afraid" to display Fateh flags.

It is quite possible that "Smiley" lives in Tel Aviv, as she claims. I find the entire rest of her comment quite implausible. (And likely, active disinformation posted here.)

10:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hello,

I just wanted to say that I'm an Israeli, and a Jew, and in spite of the impressions you might get, a lot of people here in Israel are bothered and worried by what is going on to all you ordinary people in Ghaza, but people are afraid that if the military is going to stop fighting Hammas, Hammas is going to use the cease-fire to re-stock its rockets and resume firing on a soon occasion.

It's crazy, my brother in law's family and my sister live within rocket range, and it's not safe to go to work or do anything outdoors.

Luckily we live out of range, so whoever can, is staying with us up north, but nobody trusts a cease-fire with hammas because they wonder, how come that the entire gaza city is out of stock with medicine and food but still fires tens of rockets daily, and why did Hammas go to war without preparing the civillian population? it is also for that reason that most Israelis think that Hammas is completely mad and irreasonable investing in muqawama before regular civil needs.

I am not saying that to demoralise you, I think you should all have hope and be strong and live through this terrible ordeal, but in order to come up to our government and claim to stop the fighting, we must know that you people in Gaza are able to do the same with your government.

I just wanted to say to Mina above that you don't have the right to claim that Zionists don't have faith. Only god knows what is in one's heart, and neither true Islam nor true Judaism allows one to doubt another human being's faith, even if it is different than yours. and BTW, your country, Iran is also investing huge sums of money on arming Hizballah, yet I wouldn't dare to assume that it's a sign that these people are afraid and therefore lack faith, it just doesn't make sense.

And to Arkinsaw, I just wanted to say that I'm an Israeli and a Jew, but I don't believe that I'm "chosen" or "superior" to anyone else, and it's stupid to assume that everyone in Israel thinks that way. Yes, many of my compatriots are arrogant, but also many arabs I met, and many Americans, and Many russians, etc. there arrogant people all over the world regardless of nationality or race, If someone wants to feel superior he can always find a stupid reason...

Laila, I just want all this to be over, and unlike some people on Aljazeera website wishing the Gazans "to be brave to fight till the last drop of blood", I don't want you to be dead and become Shuhada, I wish you to be brave to live forcefully with every drop of blood you have, because we all must be able to come out of it safe and sound, on both sides, because eventually we will have to live alongside each other.

12:37 AM  

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