ZIAD IN GAZA

 

And what about food? Usually, people eat more to maintain the warmth of their body. But the opposite is happening. One friend of mine, who is average weight, told me that he lost over 8kg so far. There is very little food available yet they exert a lot of effort trying to secure basics. He tells me: “You know what we did to reduce our suffering? The whole family decided to start fasting. This obligates all of us to not ask or wonder about food all day long. When the sun goes down, we have our only meal depending on what is available.

Many families have no access to flour, so they cannot even have bread. A friend, in another area, tells me: “We haven’t had a piece of bread in four days. We have children, which worsens our misery. We have some food left, but it is not enough. Adult men are crying in the streets begging to buy, not get, flour.”

Ahmad’s younger brother comes into the room to say good morning. We discuss how sad we are to have such cold weather. He also discusses another luxury we no longer have: hot drinks whenever we wanted.

Nowadays, with the lack of cooking gas, drinking something hot is a long process that starts with creating heat by burning wood or nylon, cartons and plastic. Also, you always need to check whether it is a priority or not to drink now to maintain the resources.

He shares with us the memory of the last cappuccino he had: “It was hot and delicious. I really enjoyed it and could feel its taste in my mouth till now. What irritates me the most is that I remember not completing my cup because I was in a hurry. I drank half of it and then left not knowing it would be my last time to drink cappuccino. Now, two months later, I would drink it till the last drop.”