Nowhere to Hide: The Unbearable Situation in Gaza

Editors Note: Omar Ghraieb, a resident and journalist in the Gaza Strip, is a dedicated humanitarian worker and an eloquent storyteller. You can follow his insightful perspective on Twitter @Omar_Gaza. The opinions shared in this commentary belong solely to Omar Ghraieb. For more thought-provoking opinion pieces, visit CNN.

Omar Ghraieb

Courtesy of Omar Ghraieb

I write now, seeking solace and respite from a reality that has recently grown immeasurably darker.

In these tumultuous days, our access to electricity wavers, our supply of water becomes scarce, and the air surrounding my home fills with thick smoke and the acrid odor of gunpowder. My throat and eyes stinging, it is too perilous to venture outside in pursuit of bread. Yet, amidst these challenges, my thoughts wander towards the guilty pleasure of an iced salted caramel macchiato, a small indulgence that may provide inner peace or at least a temporary distraction. What more can one expect from a Gaza millennial residing in the impoverished coastal enclave, referred to by some as the largest open-air prison in the world, subjected to a suffocating blockade for over 15 years?

I write, and as the world watches, we are engulfed by violence, bloodshed, and a deep sense of despair. These times we face are unparalleled and utterly terrifying. However, for myself and countless others in Gaza, it feels like yet another episode in the unchanging struggle for peace, security, and basic human dignity. What I witness through Western media is a complete erasure of Israel's occupation, the ongoing blockade imposed upon us, and the immense suffering we endure on a daily basis. The stark disparity between what is portrayed and what I see outside my window is disheartening.

People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Wednesday, October 11.

Abed Rahim Khatib/Picture-Alliance/Getty Images

An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11.

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.

Francisco Seco/AP

Bullet holes can be observed in a damaged window at the entrance of a kindergarten situated in Be'eri, Israel, on October 11. This peaceful farming community near Gaza was among the initial locations singled out by militants of Hamas on October 7.

Baz Ratner/AP

A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

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Itzik and Miriam Shafir, pictured in the center, grieve at their son's burial in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on Wednesday, October 11th. Dor Shafir, together with his girlfriend, Savion Kiper, tragically lost their lives during the music festival attack orchestrated by Hamas last Saturday.

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday, October 10.

Israeli troops transported a deceased individual through the village of Kfar Aza, situated near the Israeli-Gaza border, on October 10. The Israel Defense Forces informed CNN that Hamas militants perpetrated a brutal act in the form of a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their recent onslaughts.

Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Mourners gather at the gravesite of Eden Guez for her funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 10th. Tragically, she lost her life while attending a music festival which was targeted by terrorists from Gaza. Israeli authorities have confirmed the devastating loss of at least 260 individuals at the Nova Festival.

[Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]

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Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.

Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

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A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.

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A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Sama Alwadia, a six-month-old baby, was discovered alive amidst the destruction in Gaza City on October 9. Despite her remarkable survival, tragically, she succumbed to her injuries while undergoing medical treatment.

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Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

Oren Ziv/AP

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

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Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.

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Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

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A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

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The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

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An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

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Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

Fatima Shbair/AP

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

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Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.

Oded Balilty/AP

Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

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Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

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Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

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Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

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An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed

A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.

Itai Ron/Reuters

Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.

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People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Hadas Parush/Reuters

Fatima Shbair/AP

In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

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The atmosphere in Gaza is filled with uneasiness and anxiety as people contemplate an uncertain future. We try to predict how much worse the situation will become. Comparing the contents of our emergency kits, which were carefully prepared for evacuations from the extreme violence inflicted upon us by Israel, is a common practice. In addition, due to the shortage and potential cutoff of water, we diligently stock up on canned food and nuts for emergencies. We also fill every available container with liquid, including pots, pans, and jars, in order to ensure we won't run out.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Opinion: We Jews are not okay

Neighbors discuss and trade essential items, offering assistance to each other and creating a significant exchange through the unspoken language of empathy. They strategize evacuation plans and potential safe areas, despite being aware of the lack of shelters or bunkers in the Gaza Strip to protect them from Israeli attacks.

I contemplate whether I should remain silent, as I have been conditioned to do, suppressing my fears and anxiety under the weight of internal and external suppression that has persisted throughout my lifetime and for generations before. The world ignores our struggles and denies our humanity, placing blame on us for our own oppression. I feel trapped in an alternate reality, desperately trying to comprehend my surroundings while maintaining my sanity and preserving my soul.

Western governments have consistently demonstrated bias and selective outrage. Over the years, they have shown little concern, or even acknowledgement, for the suffering endured by us under Israel's oppressive occupation, persistent violence, and systemic discrimination. Despite being fully aware of our dire circumstances, they strategize evacuation plans and discuss potential safe havens, while knowing all too well that we have nowhere truly secure to seek refuge or escape.

Omar Ghraieb

The question is, where do we go from here?

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Join us on Twitter and Facebook to make our voices heard, to show the world our humanity and our inherent right to live freely and safely. Can we find a place for genuine compassion and heartfelt emotions amidst discussions on power struggles and political triumphs? If such space exists, our freedom would have been achieved a long time ago.

Despite the incessant and savage military attacks by Israel and the oppressive blockade on our borders, I remain unaffected. It is impossible to overlook or disregard the fact that the Israeli military occupation has deeply impacted every aspect of our lives, causing division in our land and among our people.

Nevertheless, for those of us facing this situation, our greatest strength lies in our ability to dream and experience pain in a world that tries to numb our senses and minimize our potential. At present, I will vocally express my opinions, persist in reading and writing, and maintain my optimism for a better future.