I have spent the last days of this war with the children of my brother, who had to leave his house in Jabalya because it was partly destroyed when a bomb landed nearby. I live in a house in Gaza city, in the al-Zaitoon neighborhood. Usually it is just me and my mother, now we are sharing with my brother and his 4 children.

I am worried about my mother who is diabetic. We can’t leave the house at the moment because of all the bombing, its too dangerous and I worry about how we will manage to get out to get her medicine when it runs out.

What makes things easier is that in our neighborhood we are sharing most things that we have. There is no gas or electricity so we have to make a fire to cook food and to heat water. We are almost 50 people and we all share the fire that is for heating water, cooking and making the bread We make the fire from wood and any paper and cardboard that we can collect. Every time a bomb lands, and every sound we hear makes my heart beat quickly. I just don't know when a bomb will land on our house.

The other day women from the neighborhood were gathered to make the bread, and we heard a very loud noise and the sound of a plane immediately followed, so one of the women said as if she was talking to the bomb: "I am not ready, I have to finish the bread and wash the clothes..", this makes me feel like laughing and at the same time crying.

11 January 2008