1/16/2024–|Last updated: 1/16/202401:46 PM (Mecca time)
The elderly Palestinian woman, Rasmiya Abu Shahma, sits in a tent that has become her temporary shelter, after she was forced to flee her home in Khan Yunis, as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since last October 7.
Rasmiya (80 years old), while placing her hand on her cheek and covering herself with a blanket to protect her from the bitter cold, talks about the intense cold that penetrates the walls of her nylon tent. She says, “We froze last night because of the extreme cold.”
Her grandchildren, who have become her support in these difficult times, help her stand and sit, and faithfully meet her needs, as she suffers from many health problems. Among them: high blood pressure and heart disease.
Rasmiya, who was displaced to Rafah on foot, says, “They told us that our house had been destroyed, and that there were many martyrs.”
Regarding her suffering inside the tent to which she was displaced, she says, “We suffer from a lack of blankets and mattresses. I only hope for peace of mind and a return to our home.”
In response to a question from Tel Aviv Tribune about her opinion on the plan to displace the residents of Gaza to Sinai, Rasmiya Abu Shahma said in a challenging tone, “We do not want to immigrate to Sinai or any other place. We will only return to our homes.” She directed her words to the Arab rulers, criticizing their treatment of what the residents of Gaza are exposed to. Massacres and displacement, “God suffices me, and He is the best disposer of affairs among you.”
The elderly Palestinian woman explained that she witnessed the Nakba of Palestine in 1948, and said with pain, “Yesterday I lost my niece and 11 members of my family. I witnessed the Nakba of 1948, and we are steadfast and will remain so, until death, with our people, with Jerusalem, and we stand with the resistance.”
