A post October 7th personal message from Jamil Qassas,

Dear Friends,My name is Jamil Al-Qassas. I’m a Palestinian refugee. My family was displaced from their village in 1948 by the Israeli army. The current scenes of Palestinians being driven out of their homes in Gaza reminds me of the 1948 Nakba.

I grew up in the Dheisheh refugee camp. During the first intifada in 1987, I was exposed to the harshness of the occupation. Our house used to be searched by the Israeli army many times a day due to its proximity to the main road and we were exposed to the violence of the Israeli army. I thought that my childhood was harsh, until I saw what the children in Gaza have experienced over the past month of a relentless bombardment with no safe place and no sense of security.

I lost my brother, my mother, and many friends because of the conflict. I was a fierce combatant in the first intifada, but over the years I learned to look at the picture from all angles. I learned that violence creates violence, and revenge creates revenge. I felt so much pain because of the events of October 7th. I did not understand what was happening. The news came like a lightning strike. I was watching TV, I was in shock, and I did not know how to act and how to communicate with my Israeli friends.