Palestinian woman in Malta: I am always waiting for the phone call to tell me a loved one has died

For the people of Gaza, this war is nothing new, Sanaa El-Nahhal told MaltaToday on Tuesday afternoon.

"I am from Gaza, my family is all there. All the time I watch the news or wait for the phone call to tell me that someone I know has died," she told MaltaToday with a heavy heart.

On Tuesday afternoon El-Nahhal, an Arabic Language Centre director joined Palestinians and Maltese supporters at Valletta to protest against the ongoing Israeli siege on Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.

Carrying a huge Palestinian flag, and a banner of children who died in the conflict, El-Nahhal chanted ‘Hurriyeh’ (the Arabic word for freedom) and sang before speakers addressed the crowd.

Speaking to MaltaToday after the protest, the woman, originally from Gaza, expressed the anguish and suffering that her family and fellow Palestinians continue to endure due to the decades-long conflict in the region.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has spanned 75 years, and the woman believes that the suffering is immeasurable. While war is never easy, the current situation is particularly challenging.

"The 2014 conflict is frequently mentioned, but between that period and now, even more lives have been lost," she explained, “our hearts are broken, and we want to share the suffering with the Maltese so they understand what we are going through."

The woman called for the international community, including the people of Malta, to comprehend the depth of their pain. The conflict may not make daily headlines, but its impact is unceasing.

"We have been living this war, and why do we bear the blame? Is it because Hamas started it? But instead of asking who started it, shouldn't we be delving into why it began?" she asked.

"If you listen to the story from the end you will not understand," she added.

Her plea for empathy is grounded in the belief that to truly grasp the suffering of Palestinians, one must comprehend the history and context of the conflict.

The woman spoke of the longing of her people to return to their homeland, a dream deferred for generations. 

Asked whether the war was ever about religion, El-Nahhal said Jerusalem is a holy land, important to Muslims, Christians and Jews alike. Coexistence, she said, has always been the hope.

"It was never a question of my religion being better than yours, on the contrary, we have always wanted us to live together in peace."

She said she dreams of unity and peace, but this will only happen if Israel stops fighting.

"If Israel stops fighting, the suffering will stop, if we lay down our arms, there will be no more Palestine.”

MaltaToday also spoke to another Palestinian woman, who for her whole life, lived at the west bank.

The woman came to Malta in 2019 to study foreign politics at the University of Malta.

“I slowly started to tell people what is happening in Palestine, but I never get angry when they don’t know what I am talking about,” she explained.

With a heavy heart, the woman expressed her deep frustration that, in this day and age, Palestinians still find themselves needing to justify their humanity and basic rights.

"I get upset when people say it's not about my land or your land. I feel upset that in 2023, we still have to justify that we are humans, we have rights, and we should be living like normal people do."

She highlighted the horrifying toll of the conflict, particularly on the most vulnerable. The loss of innocent lives, especially children, is a tragedy that cannot be ignored, she said, while questioning why international responses seem to legitimise such violence.

"When you have a country with the power to cut electricity and water supply, food, and medicine, that's genocide, not war," she concluded saying.