‘We Die, So They May Live’: Struggling for Survival amid Gaza’s Rubble

Scenes of devastation in Gaza as entire neighborhoods are reduced to rubble amidst relentless bombardment. (Photo: Donya Abu Sitta, The Palestine Chronicle)

How many hours can you survive under the rubble of your own home? Two, three, or even six hours?

Here in Gaza, we are forced to endure a marathon of being trapped under debris.

Lara, Yara, and Naama have all endured unimaginable lengths of time—six, eight, and sixteen hours, respectively.

Do we deserve to have the weight of our own homes crushing us, suffocating us as we struggle to survive?

Are these hours truly ours, or are we still trapped under the rubble of our own lives?

In Gaza, when a house is bombed, the civil defense and civilians rush to save any survivors.

However, even the civil defense was targeted by the Israeli occupation. How was this allowed by international law?

Are those who are still alive under the rubble not also dying?

We sacrifice ourselves a thousand times over so that others may live. But even when they are rescued, something inside of them dies.

‘Will I Survive?’

The Zaqout family in the Nuseirat camp was targeted, and the entire family was trapped under the rubble. Lara, who is six years old, and Yara, who is sixteen, miraculously survived after more than eight hours of being under the rubble.

Yara recalls: “Lara used to sleep next to me before the bombing. We used to sleep peacefully until that missile came, which was like a nightmare of my life.”

I woke up to find the ceiling of our house on my chest, and all there was to breathe was air filled with dust.

So many questions raced in my head—did I die? Where am I? Where is my family? My mom, dad, and Lara?

I screamed, but no sound came out, I fainted and woke up with my whole body covered in blood and tears.

The voices of the civil defense, neighbors, and relatives called out, “Are there any survivors?” How can I answer?

I tried hard, but no sound came out. I tried to touch Lara, but I didn’t find her beside me. However, I heard her moaning.

Voices from outside began to fade and disappear.

The sound of someone outside saying, “There is a hand moving under the ceiling,” gives me hope; this is Lara.

Everyone worked tirelessly to rescue Lara, and saw my hand, and they tried to pull me out, but to no avail.

They couldn’t break the ceiling because I was underneath it. They tried for hours, and after eight hours of the nightmare, I came out.

Eight hours of surrendering to death multiple times.

Eight hours of living through a nightmare that I wish I could erase from her memory.

Yes, I was rescued, and I wish I hadn’t!

What was the cost?

“I emerged with disabilities and a broken pelvis, my body drenched in blood and her broken bones visible beneath the flesh,” Yara said.

This incident happened months ago, but Yara still relives the nightmare every time she closes her eyes.

“My dear, I’m alive”

Rita, a 27-year-old mother, had been living in Egypt but came to Gaza to visit her family with her three children just two months before the war broke out.

They were all sleeping in the middle of the house.

Her sister Farah insisted that they should not sleep that day and promised them Nescafé. They were reminiscing about their childhood memories.

Suddenly, the house was engulfed in an orange glow from a rocket, and their voices were silenced as the five-story building collapsed into a single floor.

“I thought I was dead and gave up,” Rita says.

But those innocent, small fingers of her child Ryan touched her and brought her back to life. “Mom, wake up, Mom, wake up.”

“My brothers didn’t wake up,” Ryan screams and calls for help.

Rayan’s brothers did not survive, but Ryan’s innocent voice and touch gave her the strength to keep fighting.

“Don’t worry, my little one, I am alive.”

The Civil Defense was able to rescue Ryan, Rita, and her sister, Farah, but the rest of their family perished.

The longest wait of our lives was waiting to be rescued from under the rubble, hoping that we would be found before the oxygen ran out or we succumbed to our injuries.

Many have died while waiting for help because the Israeli occupation targets civil defense and ambulances.

Without proper equipment, civil defense faces an insurmountable challenge.

(All Photos: Donya Abu Sitta, The Palestine Chronicle)

– Donya Abu Sitta is a content writer and translator based in Gaza. She studies English Language at Al-Aqsa University. She contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.