Dream of Peace: View from Gaza

Posted by Marivel Guzman
On September 24, 2010

Dream of Peace: View from Gaza
by Issam Samour

During the Israeli War on Gaza in 2009, we were so terrified. We all prayed for God to save our lives. AlhamdulAllah(Thanks God). He did. Some lived to tell the tale.

I am a Gazan Citizen, from a large family of eleven brothers and one sister.

My father is a poor farmer, but as is the case of so many of us here, he is now unemployed.

Living in Gaza has been difficult since the Israeli Assault of 2009, and the inhumane Siege that have affected so many Gazan families.

The lack of basic services such water and electricity are shocking us, medical supplies and medicines indispensable to treat our sick are in short supply creating a  double humanitarian crisis.

But my dreams of peace for my land stay in my heart and mind.

My Goal is to inform people outside of Gaza, about the situation that we live in and to raise international awareness about the blockade of the Gaza Strip and to send a message to the international community to stop the support to Israel and stop the occupation of our land.

We Gazans along with all Palestinians are dreaming to break the siege and stop the suffering for Gaza.

Gazans dreams to break the siege and stop the suffering, is shared by all our Palestinians brothers in West Bank and in the world.

May this year be a year of peace in Palestine!

We Palestinians have the dream to live in peace, despite of having terrible experiences and reactions to the war, the siege, and the occupation.

We have no borders, no life, we are all walled in and blockaded.

Life is full of difficulties and constant danger, and we are forced to live with so little and some of us with nothing.

With the checkpoints and so many restrictions, there is no way out. We are trapped inside our own Land.

However, I personally believe things can change, and I work toward that goal in every way I am able.

 I refuse to allow hope to die in me. I have dreams of finishing my degree in PT conflict resolution and of spreading the news about Gaza widely in such a way as to help my people and my land.

 I pray day and night to see my people’s face cheer up, expressing the love for each other in a peaceful condition.

I have worked with the youth project in Khanyounis for demonstrating our rights in jobs, expressed in study. The EU youth Parliament nominated me as the member from Gaza to represent Gaza Youth in the "Berlin Conferences” in 2007

I was unable to attend due to the border restrictions and the Siege.

 I worked for the American Friends Service Committee, training for responding to conflict situations, transforming the conflict to opportunities for young people, and encouraging peace on our side, so we can live our lives

With various other trainings and experiences, I am now the Project Coordinator with Catholic Relief Services CRS, basically the Gaza Emergency and Recovery Project. as it is.

I do believe there is always a reason to hope and dream of peace despite whatever horrors are surrounding us. I am learning and hope to continue learning the tools needed to meet conflicts with resolution, teaching people to have hopes and dreams of peace, reconstructing peoples’ lives.

Issam Sammour

Gaza Strip, Palestine

Email :Sammour.issam@Gmail.com