My 30-year-old daughter Yasmin, who has special needs, approached me in our small room at the school shelter a few days ago. Her movements were determined but gentle. And I could see her joyous, glittering eyes. She was having a difficult time speaking, so I paid close attention.
“Dad…, I ate…chocolate”! She triumphantly said.
As I tried to remember what I had just heard, my mind began to race. Yasmin received chocolate from where?
Yasmin has spent many years in a place with its own rhythm, language of affection, and wonder. Unfortunately, she developed a developmental disability as a newborn when she was just four months old due to a severe fever. Additionally, she underwent lung surgery in Egypt at the age of seven, which further impacted her development and health.
We made every effort to make Yasmin’s life as comfortable as possible. We provided her with a computer, a tablet, coloring books, building blocks, teddies, balloons, and even a swing suspended from the ceiling.
We also spoke with doctors who had prescribed Yasmin’s unique medication. For her, we planned a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Her favorite game, Hide and Seek, gave her thrills of excitement.
Thankfully, we were able to manage Yasmin’s condition for many years.
Our beautiful home was transformed into a pile of rubble in October of this year by an Israeli warplane that flew over it. Our belongings and resources, including Yasmin’s kingdom (her room), completely disappeared.
We have since been forced to flee, finding refuge in abandoned schools, and working as shelters.
Yasmin sleeps on a thin mattress in crammed conditions where we are currently staying. There is no comfort, no quiet, or privacy.
The shelter’s work has been exhausting and tiring. She needs assistance with getting dressed, using the restrooms, and entering the chaotic courtyard. Even a few toys and coloring pencils have been difficult to get her. Additionally, it has been difficult to locate her medications.
Yasmin is a charming and friendly girl. Interesting is that people don’t have much trouble getting used to how her tongue moves when using words. She occasionally acts inappropriately, which annoys people. However, the majority of people understand her.
Yasmin is also very generous. She frequently eats with her friends, and occasionally she insists on getting presents for them. We decorated a tray of candies last year with the message “Eid is happier with Yasmin” and placed them on top of each. She proudly distributed the presents, enhancing the shelter’s gloomy atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the situation has only gotten worse lately. Gaza Strip’s stricter military occupation has prevented the delivery of basic food, fuel, and medical and sanitation supplies. For months, the markets have not found any trace of many things. No fruits, no meat, no fish, no chicken, no eggs, no milk, no sugar, and no chocolate!
Everyone in Gaza has had a serious issue because of the lack of food. Everyone I know has a much thinner body, sagging skin, and a weakened body. We’ve experienced dizziness occasionally in our marriage.
Yasmin has been particularly vulnerable. She has lost a lot of weight, and her health has declined.
Nearly 12, 000 Palestinian children under the age of five were formally diagnosed as malnourished in July.
A “man-made famine” is officially occurring in Gaza City, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on August 22 and a need for an immediate, scale-based response. The Middle East’s first ever famine was declared as a result of the report.
More than 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip are currently at or near catastrophic levels of famine, according to the IPC. This represents roughly a quarter of the population. By the end of September, that number is anticipated to rise to more than 640, 000 people, while those who are in dire need of food insecurity are expected to reach 1.14 million.
More than 315 Palestinians have already died as a result of forced starvation, half of them children, compared to the over 62, 000 killed and 140, 000 injured in the ongoing conflict.
Yasmin surprisingly stood before me and carried a secret at this moment. She declared she had consumed chocolate with a smile on her face!
I turned to her, irate. Yasmin, you ate chocolate, Yasmin. Exactly where? Who gave it to you?”
She smiled and had more joy as she saw my confusion. No, no, Dad, she said softly as she shook her head. I ate no chocolate, no. I said, “I dreamed”!
Yasmin and I jumped up and exchanged hugs, burst out laughing, louder and longer than I had in months. However, I was extremely tired and sad during my laughter.
Yasmin had a dream about something sweet in the middle of the horrors of war and widespread famine. And she was incredibly delighted by the dream’s sweetness.
Yasmin, a young woman with special needs, was unaware of the dream’s political significance. She was unaware that her dream, in which she experienced an unreachable sensation, was an act of defiance of Israel’s atrocities and a rebellious desire to live peacefully and dignified.
