In Gaza, a daily routine

Taken from their spring 25 issue of THE FACE. Interviews completed before an Israeli strike broke the January ceasefire.

When you’re fighting to even exist, mundane acts, however small, can be powerful forms of resistance. Nour Alsaqa, Mohammed Hatem and Hamada Shaqoura are three Gazans who know this well. Documenting their lives via Instagram and TikTok, they’ve carved out pockets of normality when it’s hard to imagine such a thing can survive, let alone take root and grow into cautious hope for the future: cooking, working out, watching the sunset, all in the face of unimaginable loss. Since 7^th October 2023, at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced and more than 46,000 killed, including around 18,000 children. Now, everyone in the Gaza Strip is contending with a shaky ceasefire and an American president intent on treating their homeland like a property development project. Here, Nour, Mohammed and Hamada lay bare their day- to-day lives, from getting hold of wifi and charging their phones, to the simple act of cleaning their homes. Looking away is no longer an option. These are the real voices of Gaza, and this is their reality.

Relief worker and artist documenting daily life via photographs and film. @nouralsaqa

When did you begin documenting your life?

As long as I can remember, by drawing, journalling, and painting with acrylic on canvases from an early age. I loved films and colours and I ended up studying radio, television and cinema in Turkey, which was a revolution: ​“A young girl travelling to study abroad on her own, and an art major? Are you kidding me?” I spent my university years roaming the charming cities of Turkey, drowning into a big hole of loneliness and struggling with depression during lockdown, eventually losing a fight with my mother about coming back to Gaza, which I did: two months before 7^th October.

What was your goal in sharing your videos?

I like to think of it as my digital journal; I pretend that no one is watching. The goal? To have a small community that would watch my films in the future.

In what way has creating videos helped you endure your situation?

At first, without hesitation I would pick up my phone and speak to the world, until I felt that I was speaking into the void. I had thousands of views, tons of journalists reaching out. I was going out of my way, sometimes putting myself in extreme danger, just to connect to the internet and upload any updates I had, until I sunk into a realisation of the absurdity of it all.

Of how complicit the world is, how empty words of solidarity were. So I stopped sharing for a long period of time. That’s when I immersed myself into volunteering in humanitarian relief work.

How do you manage to find humour or moments of lightheartedness?

From a young age, I found dark comedy the funniest kind. I have a very twisted sense of humour that I inherited from a very cheerful childhood. I grew up in a very healthy household, in a very peaceful and beautiful city that did not break out in wars every couple of years, with astonishing landscapes and freedom of all sorts and types. So, yes, I think it comes with Gazan citizenship.

How have you managed to maintain ​“everyday life” despite your circumstances?

I would say my mother made that job a lot easier. After the first week of war on Gaza, my mum had us all clean the house entirely and mop all the ​“dust” that has been coming [through the] windows [after] bombings. Because dying with a messy closet is such a shame and wouldn’t look good. We have to leave a nice, clean image. God bless her.

A ceasefire was called in January. What are your feelings about that?

I wonder how the world hasn’t stopped spinning to allow us a chance to sit still and cry. We have to run back to the ruins of our city, bury our loved ones, catch up with people we have been separated from for 15 months that we no longer recognise. Nothing is recognisable – not the city, not the people, not even us. The ceasefire came 466 days and more than 46,000 lives too late, and it did not bring anything we have lost back. It was necessary, but it does not carry any sort of joy or relief with it, no guarantees. The destruction is all around, so it’s hard to have a change of mind when the city I know and love turned into a mass graveyard.

Trump has been making shocking comments about Gaza. What’s been the reaction on the ground?

For the people of Gaza, Trump is a clown, an entertainer – despite the immense power he holds. His entitlement to have an opinion on Gaza is funny, yet dangerous that this discussion is put on the table in the first place. It is absurd enough to laugh about, but serious enough to raise concerns. Especially when, [talking now] three weeks into the ceasefire, not much has changed because of the intentional obstruction of reconstruction and any sort of sustainable solutions on the ground. We are seeing tons of chocolate and chips in the market after 15 months of deprivation. Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to see children with lollipops in the street. But it would be nicer to see them not forced to collect water for their families who are still living in tents.

What brings you joy?

It is hard to feel one feeling strictly. Nothing brings me joy alone. Joy is accompanied by heartache and melancholy. I watch a pretty sunset with people lighting fire between the rubble of their house, which could be romantic from afar, yet I know they are lighting fire because they don’t have cooking gas. They haven’t had it for months now, and the children probably have respiratory diseases from all the pollution they are forced to inhale. Spending Fridays with my family brings me joy, yet the nostalgia of the home we have lost, and the family members no longer around, haunts me at the same time.

What’s one message you’d like people around the world to take from your videos?

Wonder. I’d like people to look at my page and wonder.

Fitness enthusiast repurposing everyday objects for his bodybuilding techniques. @gym_rat_in_gaza

Why did you begin documenting your life?

I wanted to show people the unbreakable spirit of us Gazans. That no matter what we go through, we’re still there to thrive, to work towards a better future, to keep grinding for our dreams and goals. Now, my journey has become an inspirational story [that] not even I myself imagined.

What was your goal in sharing your videos?

To document the life of a Gazan and show the little details that no one talks about. You always see people filling water, carrying flour bags, evacuating their houses – but what did they do after? Or before? That’s something I wanted to show: that these aren’t machines you see in the videos. These are human beings, with dreams, feelings and daily routines.

How do you manage to find humour or moments of lightheartedness?

Humour and jokes have been the way I’ve coped with stress ever since I was young. And this is something I do in my videos, too. It surprises a lot of people, but that’s just the way we Gazans are. We always believe Allah planned the best for us. Even if it’s in suffering, it’s still the best for us. And once the dust settles, we’ll realise how and why everything happened. It’s just a matter of faith and belief.

How have you managed to maintain ​“everyday life” despite your circumstances?

Living without a plan is something I’d never do. Even when everything happens out of nowhere, there is still room for plans, and that’s how I structure my daily life. Whenever I get my daily tasks done – filling water, charging devices, chopping wood – I use whatever time I have left to get on with what I love doing, which of course is fitness and sports. Whatever energy I have left is put into my workout.

What is the biggest way your life has changed since the fighting began?

Stability. Because even with the simplest things, life isn’t stable. It takes a lot of effort and time to do the most basic stuff. Filling water takes lots of time. Getting internet requires much more effort, including sitting in the sun and staying out late at night. And charging our phones takes four times [as long], considering how drained our batteries and solar panels are.

A ceasefire was agreed in January. How do you feel?

I can’t tell you how happy I am. It feels unreal to finally get some kind of normalcy again, meeting up with friends and going out with them. I’m also really happy that our brothers and sisters from Rafah and the North finally got to go back to their homes – in sha’ Allah, their happiness will continue and they’ll live the happiest of times in their neighbourhoods again. I’m hoping the ceasefire will be fully done, with no problems, and this will actually be the end of the fighting.

What’s one message you hope people around the world take from your videos?

To be grateful and never take anything for granted. The life you have is a dream for someone out there, and what you take for granted is a blessing and a luxury to others. So be grateful for what you have, work towards a better future and never let the circumstances get the best of you.

Food blogger turned chef using aid rations to cook meals for those around him. @hamadashoo

What is the biggest way your life has changed since the fighting began?

Since the aggression on Gaza started, my whole outlook on life has changed. I started to appreciate the small things more and realised I had to do something to help everyone around me. I can no longer think about myself alone. I am part of a great community and I have a huge responsibility towards them.

How have you managed to maintain ​“everyday life” despite your circumstances?

It has been very difficult, but we always try to search for possibilities to continue living and overcome what we’re going through.

What was your goal in sharing your videos?

Conveying our message in the language of food culture.

In what way has creating videos helped you?

Receiving psychological support from people around the world has helped me continue and endure the current situation.

How do you manage to find humour or moments of lightheartedness?

My work with children. Their reactions have always brought joy to my difficult day.

A ceasefire was agreed in January. What are your feelings about this?

I feel happy, scared and anxious about the difficulties of life to come. Right now, there is no future, no home, no life necessities. But we are trying to fix and rebuild what we can.

What’s one message you hope people around the world take from your videos?

We in Gaza love life, and we strive for a decent life full of stability and security.”