Roo 7 Story 19

The Smell of Gunpowder:

There are two kinds of killing we are exposed to daily and always from this criminal usurper.

The first is direct killing, using the strongest, most destructive types of missiles in the world. Those can annihilate and kill laaaaarge numbers of people, surpassing 100 per hit, typically of women, children, and the elderly.

As for the second, it is a slow death for those who live day-by-day in this ugly war. This is primarily through destroying every civil resource like municipal services, which led to piling of garbage in neighbourhoods, especially with the large numbers of the internally displaced gathering in those neighbourhoods. This increases pollution on many levels, insect infestations, rats, foul smells, and air pollution.

What is more difficult is that the usurper uses the direction of the wind as a weapon, especially at night. They shoot toxic smoke and internationally banned phosphorous bombs. The toxins move with the wind between neighbourhoods and into homes. Frequently, those toxins are accompanied by a strong, foul odor that smells much like gunpowder, and gives us a feeling of death by suffocation.

I remember the early morning breeze as cool and refreshing, expanding your chest with joy. I used to long to smell the dew drops and begin my day on that note… especially on days I planned to play football (soccer). But this foul smell increases by sunrise, robbing us of the nature’s simple gift of clean air…

My 75-year-old father cannot stand this suffocating smell, and coughs and sneezes for a long time. Our heart sinks of fear for his health each time this happens. Then he confesses: “I have lived through maaany wars in my life but have never witnessed anything like this war and this brutality. I cannot bear this.”

So do children. They are deeply impacted for they cough even when sleeping, as if they have a heavy flu. My 7-year-old daughter always says: “Daddy, my nose is blocked and I can’t breathe. I wish I can have some good air!”

Where do I get my daughter some good air… I hold her and stay silent.

We started thinking about simple solutions for this problem, so we soaked pieces of cloth in water, which itself is scarce. When we smell those toxins, we cover our noses and try to breathe slowly until the smoke subsides.

My wife looks at me, tearful from all the smoke and gunpowder, and wonders: “Is it our destiney to die by suffocation?”

A lot of people say that if we make it alive, we will probably die by diseases resulting from these toxins. As if the occupiers have planned a never ending series of death to extract all hope of life, even after this war is over.

We have God, for He is our agent.

‏Roo7 – Anonymous Mental Health Professional (for fear of being targeted)
November 15, 2023

To read all stories in the series: http://upaconnect.org/category/gaza2023