Letters from Gaza is an intimate collection of personal writings that bears witness to one of the most devastating humanitarian crises of our time. This one-of-a-kind compilation comprises real-time reflections that uniquely capture the voice of people living through the conflict as a vital record of resilience in the face of adversity. Compiled by acclaimed Gaza-based writers Mahmoud Alshaer and Mohammed Zaqzooq, this book is an unflinching account of war told through the words of those living it—offering a deeply personal, urgent, and essential perspective that gets often lost in global headlines. Read an exclusive excerpt below.
Unable to Convey the Sound of the Explosion by Husam Marouf
Translated by Soha El-Sebaie
Every evening, she would come with her face pale, her features
almost disappearing because of frowning, and throw her body on
the sofa I was sitting on as if she was throwing a bag of wheat.
After the sound of the collision passed, she would advance towards
my left thigh, and lean her head on it without a word between us,
as if telling me I still love you, I still choose to rest in your embrace.
I could hear the sound of a devastated waterfall pouring from her
head onto my thigh to the point that one time I felt the dampness
on my skin.
The one with delicate, tender features, eyes the colour of green
grapes, and a vibrant spirit that seeped into every cell of my skin.
She dreamed of becoming an interior designer—a dream the city
of Gaza could not accommodate. So, she sought an opportunity to
travel to Europe to work there. But the war came, and her family’s
house was bombed over their heads. Her father, mother, and little
brother, whom she adored, died. Perhaps, it’s for his sake she was
postponing the travel.
