Life is a living hell, says Palestinian activist
JOHOR BAHRU - "Life is a living hell,” says Palestinian activist Abeer Z Barakat, describing the daily life of Palestinians after 12 days of continuous Zionist airstrikes on the Gaza strip.
Sharing her predicament, the mother of four said she has lost her home and is currently staying at a relative’s house with a few other families, sharing whatever supplies they have left without electricity for days.
With bad news and massacres in front of her every day, Abeer firmly said that she does not fear death and that water and food supply are her least concern right now.
"We are not afraid of death itself. I speak for myself and I am sure that every Palestinian will agree with me, (but) we are afraid of losing our loved ones. I lost my home, so I hope I will not lose any family members.
"Every day and night, during prayers, we prayed for their safety and asked Allah SWT to grant us patience, to be able to endure these difficult times and to be fixated on our land, especially when we are on a holy piece of land. Insya Allah, He will grant us patience and protect this land,” she told Bernama in voice notes through WhatsApp, last night.
She also shared how houses collapsed on inhabitants due to the airstrikes and how the news of another activist, Dr Shaima Abu Shaban, who lost three of her young children, both parents and siblings in a recent attack, devastated her.
"Yesterday (Monday), I heard about my friend Dr Shaima, a psychologist and a lecturer. She is currently doing a six-month psychological support project for women and children, and we worked together back in 2001.
"She (Dr Shaima) lost her father, mother, three children -- two lovely daughters and a son, and has been left alone with a son. She (was also hurt) in her chest and leg and the rest of the family were either injured or under the rubble. The news about Dr Shaima is devastating because she is very close to me,” she said.
Despite her sufferings, Abeer expressed her heartfelt appreciation to Malaysia and its people for their significant support, both at the government and grassroots level.
"Malaysia has always shown strong support for Palestinians, and your emotional support is very helpful for us. When I receive messages from my Malaysian friends and see the posts they share, it reassures us that we are not alone. Thank you so much,” she said.
Abeer, who holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from Universiti Putra Malaysia, has been actively sharing her experiences in regard to Palestinian issues and was in Malaysia last February.
Over 3,000 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 13,000 wounded in Gaza since Oct 7.
Last night, at least 500 people were reported killed in an Israeli air attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip, said Palestinian officials. - BERNAMA
