Mohammed Omer

GAZA CITY – The letter of acceptance that 28-year-old Hazem Hussain got for a business graduate program in a California university once brought joy. Now he does not know what to do with it. He has admission and a visa to the U.S., but the Israelis will not let him leave. "I have tried to … Continue reading “Israel Targets Palestinian Students”

GAZA CITY – So much is missing as you walk down the street along the shops of Gaza: food and medicines kept out by the blockade enforced by Israel, but also newspapers, once a part of the street landscape. Al-Hayat-al-Jadeeda and al-Ayyam, two newspapers loyal to Fatah, are not around any more. And for once, … Continue reading “Palestinian Factions Silence Opposition Media”

GAZA CITY – The Israeli siege of Gaza that has restricted access to food, water and medicine is now beginning to hit unborn children and newborn babies. "Many babies are born suffering from anemia that they have inherited from their mothers," Dr. Salah al-Rantisi, head of the women’s health department at the Palestinian ministry of … Continue reading “Siege Hits Palestinians Before They Are Born”

GAZA CITY – It’s been strangely quiet for some time at the port in Gaza. No clanging of hooks, no sounds of creaking cranes or of thumping of nets upon decks. Boat engines, normally puttering and spewing exhaust, lie entombed under covers. Of the 40,000 fishermen and others who make a living from the catch, … Continue reading “Still Waters in Gaza”

GAZA CITY – The one political result of Israel’s attacks and sanctions on Gaza has been that the Hamas leadership, and particularly Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have emerged greatly strengthened. Over the last three months, support for Haniyeh has overtaken that for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah Party. Fatah rules the West … Continue reading “Israel Strengthens Hamas’ Leadership”

GAZA CITY – "I am bleeding uncontrollably, I need an ambulance." That was not a call to emergency services, it was an appeal broadcast live on radio in Gaza City. Who knows whether there will ever be an ambulance or not. But this way the ambulance services still hear the appeal broadcast on Al-Iman FM … Continue reading “No Ambulance, Call the Radio”

GAZA CITY – Ayman Eid stands as motionless as his orange Hyundai taxi. Never mind taking a passenger somewhere, Ayman has no idea how he will ever get home. The queue at the petrol station seems endless. Drivers have run out of petrol even to queue up in their cars; they just queue up themselves, … Continue reading “Gaza Running on Near Empty”

GAZA CITY – The family had been mourning for 16-year-old Ahmed Abu Salamah. What was left of what was thought to be his body had been buried. After two weeks of mourning, they found Ahmed alive in the intensive care unit at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. But a boy had been buried. And, a family … Continue reading “The Son Who Did Not Die, and the One Who Did”

GAZA CITY – "Santa Claus is empty-handed this year … insolvent," says Father Manuel Musallam, head of the Holy Family School in Gaza City. "All forms of celebration are absent," he says, raising his empty palms skyward. "We Christians and Muslims all live in fear and instability. The Israeli tanks, bulldozers, and warplanes have laid … Continue reading “In Gaza, Santa Is Insolvent”

GAZA CITY – As Sunday dawns in Gaza City the traditional Islamic call to prayer mingles melodically with church bells. Side by side, mosque and church doors swing open, welcoming the faithful. Greetings are eagerly exchanged. The October kidnapping and murder of Rami Ayyad, the manager of Gaza’s only Christian bookstore, sent shudders through the … Continue reading “Christians And Muslims Coexist in Gaza”