Life or Death in Gaza Strip

“Gaza is not a city, anymore, and it’s not a country either. On the map it is called a strip, and a strip it is indeed”

Dr. Ashraf Ezzat

There are some places on earth, places that we’ve never been to, nor even cared to visit, but upon mentioning them, stereotyped visual associations are instantly summoned up in our minds.

For instance, whenever Paris is mentioned, we can’t help thinking of the Eiffel tower and the latest fashion trends.  Vienna is closely linked with classical music and its famous opera house, China is visually associated with its great wall and the all-around-us “made in China” products, and Egypt with the Pyramids and may be lately the Tahrir Square.

But what about Gaza? What kind of images do you conjure up when the word “Gaza” is mentioned?

Most probably we will be thinking of the horrible images of the 2009 Israeli war on Gaza, the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza and the deadly attack on the Gaza freedom flotilla in May 2010

But again, what is exactly Gaza, and how could we define it?

Gaza is not a city, anymore, and it’s not a country. On the map it is called a strip, and a strip it is indeed.

In fact, it is a brilliantly realistic description of the place, for Gaza is practically the last strip of land that is still not devoured yet by the ongoing Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

And of course, we have all heard of Hamas. But likewise, we can’t exactly figure out what it is. Is it a government, a separatist movement, or some radical Islamic organization?

We were told that Hamas was democratically elected back in 2007, but after long 5 years it seems that it was elected to stay for good.

What future holds for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause when their political front is deeply divided between Fatah and Hamas?

Under the ruthless economic blockade on Gaza, who is funding, besides the international aide, the government of Hamas? And what are the funders’ agenda?

Has too much religion been mixed with politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

But then again, what choices does an Islamist movement like Hamas have, when the whole of Israel has been established on religious fantasies and prejudice?

And more importantly, what life is like under the rule of Hamas, and has Hamas turned from an asset to a liability for Palestinians, especially the seculars. If any still remain.

In the following video, we are given a rare glimpse of the embattled Gaza Strip and a chance to see what life is like under the rule of Hamas.