A British national in Gaza has said a bomb that exploded nearby during an interview is “just a glimpse” of what she and her family are going through every day in the war-torn territory.
Zaynab Wandawi, a British national born in Salford, Greater Manchester, and a teacher of English as a second language, travelled to Gaza at the beginning of October with her husband – who is British Palestinian – and his family, including seven siblings and his mother, for a family member’s wedding.
Ms Wandawi, 29, said that for “a couple of days” their trip was “relatively normal, for what Gaza considers normal” before war broke out, but they are now trapped in a warzone.
During an interview with the PA news agency about her situation, a bomb could be heard approaching and then exploding next to the building Ms Wandawi was in.
“That was just a bomb next to our house,” she said.
“The sound of that bomb is just a glimpse, not even, of what we’re going through here every single day.
“Hundreds of those every day, and every time we hear a bomb we think: ‘Oh, who was affected by that bomb?’
“I’m OK, I was just checking on my family, we’re OK.”
Ms Wandawi said thousands of Palestinians have died while she has been there, while their access to water and fuel has also been cut.
“It’s just been terrible being here, it’s been horrible seeing so many lives destroyed, so many families shattered, so many children die,” she said.
“Thousands of Palestinians have died while I’ve been here, it’s been horrible.
“Not only are they attacking us with bombs but of course they’ve cut off our water, electricity, fuel, we have nothing, and it’s just affecting the civilians, these cuts.
“It’s a luxury, honestly, if you’re able to wash your body, you’re doing really good. It is difficult just to wash your hands in these situations.”
Ms Wandawi’s mother, Lalah Ali-Faten, 52, from Prestwich, north Manchester, said her daughter has been in touch with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, but is receiving “more or less generic responses”.
“Their internet signal is very weak. So I wait for a message from her in the morning to see if she’s made it through the night, and as soon as I get a message there’s a temporary relief, but then as soon as her internet goes, I don’t know what’s happening,” she told PA.
“It’s been harrowing to be honest, from one minute to the next I don’t know if she’s alive, so that has affected us as a family really.
“Her birthday was on the 24th so she spent her birthday there, she turned 29 a few days ago. I see her on the calls and she’s visibly shaking, she’s not herself, she’s definitely traumatised, as are all the people there.”
Ms Wandawi said that they had planned to leave on October 17, and added that her husband’s brother is in high school, while his sister had just started at the University of Manchester, and had booked to return on October 12 in order to not miss school or university.
From one minute to the next I don't know if she's alive— Lalah Ali-Faten
The Palestinian death toll has soared past 7,000 as Israel has carried out waves of devastating air strikes in response to a bloody Hamas incursion into southern Israel on October 7.
The UK meanwhile abstained on a UN Security Council resolution which would have called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.
According to the UN’s news website, “UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said that her country abstained from the resolution as the text needed to be clearer on Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, and because it ignored the fact that extremist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, is using Palestinian civilians as human shields”.
Ms Wandawi said: “We know the UN called for a vote for a ceasefire and the majority of the countries were in favour of this ceasefire, but the country that I’m from, the UK, abstained – abstained from a ceasefire!
“All we want is for the bombing to stop. So a message for our PM would be: you’ve abstained from a ceasefire, please don’t abstain from allowing your citizens to return home, please actually take action. Please stop the bombing, stop the killing.”
PA has contacted the FCDO for comment.
