Morning in Gaza

The internet was cut for a time this morning, so I'm posting this now in case we are cut again. Who knows what lies in store for us today.

The bombings were louder than ever last night, with at least 100 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. The windows of my apartment were shaking at more than one point. We heard that the Prime Minister's compound, which we visited in September, was completely destroyed during the night. Although it is not very close to me, the sound from the explosion reverberated around the city and woke me up.

I was on BBC5 Live during the night, along with a Canadian settler in Jerusalem. He kept saying that Israel wants peace, though it is hard to find evidence of that, particularly during these days. I explained that peace is impossible without justice and freedom for the Palestinian people and that the first step to peace is an end to the occupation of Palestine.

We are listening to the incessant buzzing of drones overhead. I have seen the smoke rising from a number of airstrikes and they are set to continue. Friends of ours who live in more vulnerable areas are staying in their homes with their families, terrified. One friend reported that a playground near her home had been hit.

You can hear the sound of an F16 airstrike here. Imagine the sound amplified by 10,000, multiplied x 100, and accompanied by shaking windows or worse.

That has been the sound of a typical night in Gaza for the past three days.