Gaza: Indestructibility of the Human Spirit

by Deanna Othman

Gaza seems to be a land replete with contradictions. I learned this first-hand, as I had the opportunity to visit one of the most politically and materially isolated places on earth.

It is physically small, yet is densely populated. It is dangerously close to its occupier, yet within its confines, people are safe. It has been strangled by the Israeli-imposed siege, but its marketplaces buzz with activity. Its buildings have been demolished, yet they are filled with life. Its people have been called terrorists, yet they have been terrorized. In Gaza, one witnesses perhaps the most jarring paradox of humanity--evidence of the capacity of the human spirit to inflict destruction, and the indestructibility of the human spirit.

The first is readily apparent to any visitor to the region. The aura of devastation is ubiquitous. Rubble and garbage line the streets. Store fronts and buildings are boarded up due to damage caused by bombings. Heaps of crumbled cement lay in front of ruined structures. Restaurants closed. Windows shattered. Lives lost.

The cement maze-like blocks, refugee camps that house thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, are dankly reminiscent of the harsh realities of occupation. The only color in sight comes from the spray-paint that covers nearly every empty space, an attempt by Gazans to infuse life and character onto an otherwise blank slate. However, despite the depressing condition of many of Gaza’s structures, left unfixed, unfinished and uninhabited, the bright blue sky and the breathtaking Mediterranean shoreline serve as stark reminders for the Palestinians of the world, and the hope, that exists beyond the confines of their homeland.

While the remnants left behind by the Israeli bombings of Gaza in 2008-2009 have emblazoned the effects of the dark side of human nature into the hearts and minds of Palestinians, their refusal to allow this injustice to dictate the course of their lives is staggering. Witnessing the resolve of the people of Gaza to thrive despite their circumstances was truly a testament to their unwavering faith and vigorous spirits. While I expected to see people suffering from lack of food, supplies or even access to education, I met people eager to share whatever they had, people studying and working to excel and support their families, people who did not despair at the situation they were put in, but living and laughing despite it.

I met middle-aged women who had lost husbands or sons, but who had committed themselves to studying their faith and had memorized the Quran. I met children who left their houses at 5:30 AM to begin their school day, since schools were divided into two sessions due to overcrowding. I met 20-year-old widows raising children without fathers because their husbands were killed in Israeli incursions. I met families eager to welcome visitors from America, interested to know what people abroad think of them. I met teenagers dreaming of having the luxury to travel outside their country, just to know what life is like elsewhere.

Yes, life in Gaza is difficult—almost unbearable for someone accustomed to an American lifestyle. I expected people in Gaza to complain of material constraints. But amazingly, humans are able to adjust to whatever situation they are thrust into. Intermittent electricity, limited amounts of water, damaged homes—these are all things people are able to live with, symptoms they can manage. But just as in medicine, people can only manage symptoms for so long. Eventually the underlying ailment, the disease, must be eradicated in order for the body to thrive. Occupation is this crippling disease. Astoundingly, Gazans are able to cope with its symptoms, but eventually, for them to move forward, there must be a cure.