A day in Gaza: Marwa’s diary
A medical student in the Gaza Strip hopes one day to be a surgeon. The war has put her dreams on hold.
The war in the Gaza Strip is weighing heavily on young people – on their day-to-day lives and also their hopes for the future.
Marwa, a fourth-year medical student at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, wants to become a surgeon – a dream that like so many others is now on hold.
She spoke with UNICEF a few months ago, and although her family has been displaced again since then, she has stayed in touch, sharing some of her experiences and providing a glimpse of daily life amidst conflict.
Part 1: Sometimes I feel it’s driving me mad
Marwa describes a typical day with her family, how the war has made her feel, and why it’s sometimes impossible to get any sleep.
It’s not death that we fear. It’s surviving death.
“Every day, we wake up at 5 a.m. My brothers bring us water from the nearby houses in buckets. My father goes to the market to buy us what vegetables we need that day.
“Me and my sister try to read novels to fill the time, but nothing can distract us from the harsh reality. In truth, it’s not exhausting to carry water for long distances, and it’s not exhausting to cook on fire. You get used to it.
“It is, however, very exhausting to live in constant fear. And it’s not death that we fear. It’s surviving death. If you survive a bombing, then you either end up wounded, having to go through a limb amputation without any anaesthesia. Or you survive, and you lose your loved ones. Can you imagine what a nightmare it would be to be the sole survivor of your entire family?
“At 6 p.m., when it starts to get dark, we lay down to sleep, although the constant, ear-piercing buzzing of the surveillance drones makes it impossible to sleep.
“Sometimes I feel it’s driving me mad. That’s essentially what my day looks like.”
Part 2: Praying that it doesn’t rain
In the second exchange with UNICEF, Marwa shares the challenges her family have experienced during their most recent evacuation since the fighting escalated in October 2023.
It rained so much that night. I can’t imagine how it would have been like if we slept in the street.
“My family and I have gone through a lot. The shelter we were taking refuge in, in Khan Younis, was besieged and a few people died. Every family in the shelter thought they were next. The next day, they ordered us to evacuate,” Marwa explains.
“On the way to Rafah, I cried my eyes out. This was the fourth time we were forced to evacuate, and I knew it wasn’t going to be the last. When I asked my mother where we were going, she said, ‘We’re going to have to sleep in the street until we find a place to go.’ She said to pray that it doesn’t rain that night.
“But when we got to Rafah, thankfully, a friend of my brother’s called and offered us their tent to stay in for a few days. It rained so much that night. I can’t imagine how it would have been like if we slept in the street. A few days later, we moved to a tent that we built in the only empty space we could find on the beach. The wind was so strong, and it was so cold.
“Rafah was supposed to be safe, but it was still heavily bombed.”
Part 3: A hurricane of feelings
In the third conversation, Marwa describes the emotions she has been experiencing since the war erupted.
UNICEF
I entered medical school because I wanted to save people’s lives. Now, I’m helpless to save even the lives of the people I love.
“This war has taken us through a hurricane of feelings,” she says. “Some days I am very angry at the whole world. Some days I’m grieving all that we had lost. And some days I don't feel anything at all. Those days, I’m feeling particularly helpless.
“A few days ago, there was a bombing so close to us. We thought it was going to hit us. The explosion was so deafening, and the tent looked like it was going to fly off. And the second after the explosion, we heard something fall near us. Less than a half metre away from where my sister, with my niece in her arms, were sleeping. I was a split of a second and a half metre away from losing the person I love most in this world.
“I entered medical school because I wanted to save people’s lives. Now, I’m helpless to save even the lives of the people I love. The only thing that gets me through the day is the hope of completing my education and the chance of getting my family to safety and rebuilding our life back.”
