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WANN

we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Tag: destruction/rebuilding

Young manstanding on top of ruins of a house

Where is Nour?

Nour’s name means ‘light’ in Arabic — without him, our lives remain shrouded in darkness.
Abdallah Aljazzar
    A young couple sitting in a car

    A surprise reunion after displacement

    ‘For minutes, we just stared into each other’s eyes, unable to believe that after 15 months of separation, we were finally together again.’
    Iman Ibraheem Abo Qamar
    • Gaza Strip
    Several tents on a dust-filled street.

    Finding home in the ashes

    Returning after the ceasefire was like returning to the place of the ghosts.
    Nadera Raied Mushtha
    • Gaza Strip
    Rows of shoes on shelves.

    The love that doesn’t burn

    His fiancée’s steadfastness helped Khaled Al-Zard recover after an Israeli bomb destroyed his shop and his dreams.
    Rola Ameen Al-Dremly
    • Gaza Strip
    A clay oven under construction.

    Rebuilding hope

    A refurbished oven restores a place to cook and, just as importantly, a gathering spot for the women of a tent camp.
    Rawan Sabah
    • Gaza Strip
    A house with soot on its exterior indicating it has been burned.

    The announcement of the ceasefire

    Celebration, long-overdue crying, and an accounting of loss accompanied the moment when the bombs stopped falling.
    Iman Ibraheem Abo Qamar
    • Gaza Strip
    A bedroom with a broken window and glass shards on the bed.

    An airstrike changed my perspective on life

    Despite the chaos surrounding us, the most important thing was that I still had my husband and daughter beside me.
    Heleena Darwish
    • Gaza Strip
    A scene of destruction after the ceasefire in Gaza, with the shadow of the photographer in the foreground.

    My heart broke 20 times

    I spoke with 20 people in Gaza after the ceasefire. These snapshots convey what survival looks like and what it costs.
    Mohammed R Mhawish
    • Gaza Strip
    • Diaspora
    Star of David graffiti'ed on wall.

    Graffiti: Israel’s psychological war

    Scribbles left behind by soldiers from the world’s “most moral army” assert their genocidal intentions and trigger fear.
    Donya Abu Sitta
    • Gaza Strip
    People walking home along a road through destroyed buildings.

    The long road home

    Throughout the war, members of my family were displaced, separated, humiliated, tortured, injured. Now we are back.
    Nadeen Abu Al Aoun
    • Gaza Strip
    An orchid in an outdoor garden.

    Sarah is my Los Angeles

    My friendship with an American living near the U.S. wildfires propels my advocacy for humanism over vengeful thinking.
    Aseel Zeineddin
    • Gaza Strip
    A hand reaching out from under rubble.

    Will I survive?

    Yes, Yara / you will survive / but what is survival?
    Donya Abu Sitta
    • Gaza Strip