Voices of Anera Staff from Gaza Through Two Years of War
by Anera
Posted in: Newsletter, Voices from the field
This collection highlights the words of our Gaza staff as they lived the war — setting up clinics, delivering water and finding small moments of relief, while trying to survive and care for their own families.
“In my role at Anera, I’ve witnessed support arriving from around the world — a tangible relief that eases some burdens. Yet, it’s crucial to recognize that the true strength in Gaza comes from within the community itself… mutual love and support… transform chaos into relief.”
— Ahmad Najjar, June 2025
“Life in Gaza is now the hardest since October 7, 2023, because of man-made mass starvation.”
— Suad Lubbad, July 2025
“Yesterday my wife returned to Gaza City to pick up some important papers. She came back with heavy heart. ‘There is nothing left to remember,’ she said, ‘just the smell of death, the stab on the chest being suffocated and the huge destruction.’”
— Eshak Daour, September 2025
“We have nothing left to lose but our hope. And even that is hanging by a thread.”
— Anonymous staff, October 2025
“I moved from the north to the south for the first time in two years and I hardly recognize this place… I keep repeating the same words even though it feels hopeless, there must be a ceasefire, there must be an end to this genocide. Please do not look away from us.”
— Areej Al Masri, September 2025
“After months of displacement, I finally returned to my home in Gaza. I didn’t expect to find it like this: half of it completely destroyed, and the other half unlivable… Despite the pain, being there reminded me that this destruction is not the end. It’s the beginning of something new… Reconstruction isn’t just about rebuilding walls. It’s about restoring dignity… The road is long and difficult, but every step toward rebuilding is one more step toward life.”
— Ibrahim Zanoun, October 2025
“Every day here is worse than the one before. Displacement camps are overcrowded and filthy. Heat makes the conditions unbearable. Kids are sick with rashes, diarrhea and other illnesses. People fight for water. Trucks can’t get through and families walk long distances just to fill a jerrycan.”
— Yazdan El Amawi, September 2025
“As I drove, I saw people walking with their belongings slung over their shoulders, their lives condensed into little knapsacks.”
— Sami Matar May 2024