Tuesday marks two years since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. In response, Israeli forces launched a war in Gaza and have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
As Israel and Hamas participate in indirect peace talks in Egypt, we check in with Mohammed Hatem, a young man in Gaza who is passionate about fitness and uses it to help him cope with the violence surrounding him.
What is happening now for you?
“I would say last time we spoke in April, that was when the situation was getting to its lowest point. The borders have been closed back then for well over a month. And we were running out of food, we were running out of supplies pretty quickly. Right now, like some of those who’ve been following up with the news, the borders have been opened for food to enter since late July. And Alhamdulillah, you know, thank God the situation with food and products right now is much better.
“I was able to get back into working out almost two months ago. I’ve been on my fitness journey again since then. I would say like the foods and products that are available in the market, they are not as high quality as people would imagine. You know, like it’s mostly like canned food or maybe like some lentils, some flour, rice and all of that.
“So I would say by the time right now, I haven’t really seen any chicken or meat in the market. I have seen some eggs, I got to admit, maybe like some canned tuna. And that is what I’m mostly relying on right now. But yeah, when it comes to the amount of food that the prices and everything in the markets right now, it’s much better than what it was a couple of months ago.”
What does it look like where you are? Can you describe what’s happening?
“The area that I’m in right now, I’ve just recently moved to it, actually. It’s like at the very edge of the safe zone. I can’t even go up to the roof because of how dangerous the area is like. There are a lot of random bullets passing by the house that I’m in. There are like bombings, like day and night. I would say I count like 10 to 20 bombs almost every day and the neighborhoods nearby, and the view is just straight up rubble from my window. It was almost like a month ago when I moved to this house and some people asked me like, ‘Why would I move to such an area when I was on the beach and it was much safer?’
“The shortest answer I can give to that is that life in a tent is much harder than living in a danger zone, living in the hot weather or even the cold weather. It doesn’t protect you from either of them, especially those. My friend was on the beach. There was like sand everywhere, you know, even in my mattress sometimes and the food that we are making. And so when I found out that there was an apartment for rent in this area, even though it was much more dangerous than the area I was in, in the tent, I was like, ‘Bro, just give me the apartment.’ I would rather live inside of walls and hear bombings 24/7 rather than live in a tent and be in the quietest place ever.
You had to stop your schooling. You were going to study business administration because of this war. How are you affording an apartment?
I’ve been running a fundraiser on my face where people can support me and my family. And thank God I’ve been able to raise enough funds to cover the expenses that we’re going through right now. Also, just recently, almost like a week ago or something, I’ve been working on my online coaching business where I help people with their fitness journeys, with what I’ve learned in my fitness journey during the life in Gaza. And so, you know, it’s, it’s a mix of the both.”
This war was launched Oct. 7, 2023, and now there’s news that the war might end, that Israel, Hamas, the U.S. are working to end the war in Gaza. What do you think about what you’re hearing about the proposal and the talks?
“I can say, like I am saying this for myself and for every Gazan out there, we are hoping with all of our souls that this would actually go into having an agreement very soon, inshallah. Because honestly, even when you say that the food situation got better or that we have a place to stay, and I mean, for me personally, I have a place to live right now. You know, thank God I have this apartment that I rented, but there are like thousands of people staying on the side of the street without even attempt to live in. And so, you know, we just hope that this comes to an end very soon. And I hope that all the efforts being put into it actually pay off and we see a peace agreement very soon.”
Tell us more about how it has felt to lose two years. Talk about the impact on you and your generation.
“Well, the fact that we are frozen in life is no secret for anyone. Some people think that the fact that we are living through such cruel circumstances, they think that, you know, we just wake up every day, we want to get water and food and fix the place that we are sitting in. And that’s it. Like, you know, then we are like the happiest people ever.
“But I got to say, like, for me, I have never been more disappointed in myself when I find myself like not getting the work that I should be getting done, not moving forward towards my dreams and goals, not being able to get a stable job or to pursue our university studies and like stable circumstances.
“So, you know, like this mentality of not only wanting to survive but also wanting to thrive and, you know, to get better in life. That is like the thought that has been really haunting me. But despite all of the difficulties that we’re going through, we try to make the most out of our situation and, you know, to keep working towards our dreams with whatever we have available to work with. You know, anything that happens happens for a reason. Like God never puts something in your way unless it’s going to change your life for the better.”
Correction: This segment erroneously states that the guest has millions of followers on Instagram. He has 431,000. We regret the error.
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This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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