Gaza voices: ‘People still afraid’

There are many children in Gaza traumatised by the war [GALLO/GETTY]

As Gazans start to venture out on to the streets again after 22-days of bombardment by the Israeli military, residents share their firsthand experience with Al Jazeera.

Motasem Dalloul, a Gaza City resident and freelance journalist

“Here in Gaza, the Gazans have not slept for the noise of the helicopters, of the Israeli drones and the artillery shelling. These things were continuous all night and until now.

I am now speaking with you while walking on the street and, in order to hear you, I am putting my finger on the other ear in order not to hear the noise of the drones and the helicopters in the skies of Gaza.

There was many artillery shelling, there was sporadic helicopter shooting, there was a clear attack on a certain area of the Gaza Strip.

People are still afraid to return back to their homes after they have heard about the unilateral ceasefire because they know the Israelis may break this ceasefire easily and also because they are hearing the sporadic shelling of the helicopters and the artillery shellings.

I am now walking in the streets alone. No one is walking. No one is going back to his home. No one is in the old area where I am living, it is empty.

I myself have returned to my house alone without my children and wife in order to look at my house.”

Taghreed El-Khodary, a resident of Gaza City

“This is the first time that we, in a week, slept and Al Jazeera tonight, today woke me up.

I am hearing the drones still hovering in the skies of Gaza, continuously of course, to remind us that the Israelis are saying: ‘We are still here.’

But all of a sudden I don’t know why I’m crying, I just keep remembering all these women, the mothers, the fathers, that I interviewed who lost their loved ones and I don’t now what kind of life they are going to have after this.

I remember those people who I interviewed, they lost parts of their bodies. How are they going to survive this? If anyone wants to help those people, the victims, the civilians, I think one must consider sending therapists.

There are many children that are extremely traumatised, the people in Gaza City, in the north are extremely traumatized.

There is no other option but to go out and to keep alive, to keep walking. Nobody will stop people now from moving around.

The fear will always be there and with the drones, the F-16 now, it will be there.

But what to do now for these people who stayed 21 days inside a classroom with 40 other people? They don’t know.

You think they will stay in these Unrwa schools? No, they will go home.