Deir el-Balah, Gaza – In a tattered makeshift tent in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Basma al-Helou and her husband were preparing their morning tea. “We wouldn’t wish this life [in tents] on anyone, let alone our brothers in Lebanon,” the 74-year-old said, her voice filled with sorrow.
“War is unbearable, and we have felt its horrors all year. I was devastated when Israel started bombing Lebanon.”
Her grief deepened, she said, upon hearing of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah chief who was killed on Friday night during a huge Israeli attack on southern Beirut. “I was heartbroken when I heard. Everyone around me, my neighbours – we all hoped it wasn’t true.”
As a Palestinian, al-Helou says she will never forget Nasrallah’s unwavering support for her people. “Nasrallah stood with us throughout his life, always defying Israel. I remember his speeches on TV. They were a source of strength. His loss is immense.
“We don’t know what they want to stop the war. They killed Ismail Haniyeh, they killed many leading figures.”
Now, she says, “We feel that we are alone in the face of a tyrannical war machine.”
‘Nasrallah was with us’
Zaki Sheikh Khalil, 64, shared similar sentiments. “Nasrallah was with us when others abandoned us,” he said. “Anyone who stood by us, regardless of their nationality or religion, we will mourn their loss or death.”
He acknowledged that not everyone in the region feels the same way.
“Some say that Nasrallah is Shia, and not Sunni, and that he caused some differences and divisions in Syria, but whatever the differences are, we will continue to remember Nasrallah who stood in the face of Israel as a support for Gaza,” he said.
“The enemy is one and Israel is our enemy and Nasrallah’s killing is a victory for it,” he added.
Reflecting on Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, Khalil, who has been displaced five times, expressed profound sadness. “What’s happening in Lebanon mirrors our suffering in Gaza – bombing, destruction, displacement. Watching them endure what we’ve endured is unbearable. Worse is the world’s indifference.
“It is unbearable for us to see a defenceless civilian people subjected to the same calamities that we have been subjected to,” he said. “We are very sad for Lebanon that it is facing the same fate because it stood with Gaza and said ‘no’ to Israel.”
‘Numb towards everything’
For Hiba Murad, a 36-year-old mother of five, Nasrallah’s death left her feeling numb.
“The war has made my feelings numb towards everything,” she said, smiling broadly. “I have lost my feelings towards many things. My life is unbearable.”
Murad stressed that her indifference does not mean that she is not sad about Nasrallah’s death – she is truly sad about everything that is happening around her, she explained – but she has a feeling of helplessness.
“I spend my day laughing at everything. Everything around me is ridiculous and pitiful. We live in a world without morals or feelings,” she said.
When asked about Israel’s actions, Murad remarked: “They claim to target leaders like Haniyeh and Nasrallah to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah, but they continue attacking civilians. We’re the ones suffering, not just the leaders.
“What is left for Israel now? Israel is only using some names and captives in Gaza as an excuse to continue its killing and crimes against people, and in the end, we are the victims.”
After Nasrallah’s killing, Murad said she no longer rules out the possibility that Israel knows the location of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, but is delaying targeting him to reap more destruction under the pretext of searching for him.
“Unfortunately, Israel enjoys political and international immunity to do anything. We have lost hope in anyone who supports us in Gaza, because the price is known.
“Whoever supports Gaza will meet the same fate as Nasrallah and Lebanon.”
