Today is the most harsh day of the winter season.
The rain has been pouring relentlessly since early morning.
In the morning, I received a message instructing me to head to a specific location in order to get a bag of flour.
Due to the scarcity of flour and the widespread famine in Gaza, I immediately set out to join the expected queue.
From nine in the morning until almost four in the afternoon, I stood in line, waiting.
The rain didn’t stop for a single minute, nor did the wind.
A vendor selling plastic bags wandered around us, offering garbage bags for sale. People were buying it to wear as raincoats to protect themselves from getting wet.
Next to us was a long wall where some people gathered for shelter. They stood with their faces toward the wall with empty bags covering their heads.
Hours passed. Suddenly, a voice heard announcing that the flour finished.
“Everybody goes home until more flour is available!”, the man cried.
People started screaming, wailing, and collapsing to the ground in tears, as they were hopeful to for baking a loaf of bread in Gaza.
So, this is how another humiliating day in Gaza ended.
Happy New Year!
Mazen Al-Najjar
December 31, 2024
