It has now been one year sinceIsraels war on Gaza began.
More than 41,000 people have been killed, and 100,000 have been injured.
More than 16,000 children are among the dead.
A Palestinian mourns relatives killed in Israeli bombardment, at the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah, on April 29, 2024.AFP/Getty Images
We are haunted by painful memories that are impossible to forget.
How can I forget the cries of the injured children, their screams echoing inside my mind?
How can I forget the sound of women weeping as they said goodbye to their loved ones?
There is no way to forget or move on.
Our thoughts were occupied with everything but ourselves.
I became more irritable and withdrawn, avoiding people and social gatherings.
I did leave, taking my family with me toEgyptin search of safety and psychological stability.
But, to my misfortune, reality was worse than I imagined.
I began to experience daily nightmares seeing burnt bodies and dismembered limbs in my sleep.
I started seeing water as blood.
I lost a lot of weight and isolated myself from others.
I thought this was the only way to save myself from death.
But I was in a safe place what could I possibly die from?
My role was not over yet.
Indeed, I started therapy sessions, which began to restore my faith in myself.
I later realized that my situation was much better than those of my colleagues who remained in Gaza.
But this time was different.
Amer was completely exhausted and broken.
I asked Amer how he was doing and how work was going.
The situation was terrifying, but he was laughing.
Every day he saw dozens of decaying and torn bodies being eaten by dogs.
Suddenly, his laughter turned into intense crying.
He told me that everything had changed.
He now suffers from constant fear and trauma fear for his family, fear for himself.
He can only sleep with the help of sleeping pills, which have become scarce.
Then he told me he was afraid of dying and becoming food for dogs and cats.
I apologized for having to end the call because I was completely unable to console him.
After several weeks, I called Amer again to check on him.
Unfortunately, this time he was crying bitterly.
She is now in an intensive care unit and may lose all her limbs.
Some have died, lost their entire families, homes, and loved ones.
How can this group be brought out of the shock after the war?
It wont be easy.
Each of us has a sad story, each one different from the other.
