ESSAY
Most people were asleep when Israeli bombs dug a crater three stories deep and started a huge fire.
My name is Tala Herzallah, I am 22 years old and I come from northern Gaza.
I am currently displaced and living in al-Mawasi. This is what I saw on September 10, the day of the explosion:
We were all asleep. And then suddenly, everything changed: the color of the sky changed.
The explosion occurred about 200 meters away.
The scene looked like one of my nightmares, but it was real life.
The noise, … the enormous damage caused by the bombs, made us understand that they were intended for the largest buildings and not for tents made of the most fragile materials in the world.
I saw two colors: red and gray. Everything turned gray (because of the dust) and there were red flames everywhere.
The sky was filled with screams, cries and the sound of ambulances.
I avoid looking at the injured. I try to treat my mind like a recorder and try not to record anything bad.
The day before, I was looking at the sky. It was full of stars. It was very romantic, I never imagined that I would open my eyes to the complete opposite.
Now we are literally surrounded by death.
It’s hard to admit, but this is our daily life now.
We witness horrible things and continue as if nothing happened.
We all feel like we only have a few days left to live. And that’s why we always try and work hard.
Even though I know I could die at any moment, I’m trying to finish my last year of college. I’m doing my best to survive and to live.
I am with my mother and father, but my brothers and sisters are not with me.
We try to separate ourselves so that we don’t all disappear in a second.
One is abroad and two are here – one in Deir el-Balah and the other in Nuseirat camp.
Families are now being completely wiped out by a single bomb. It’s really scary.
We want people to be able to tell our stories.
There is no way for them to get rid of us all. This is our means of survival.