Sharjah: Amid the relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Jehad Al Salibi has been calling his family 15 times a day just to make sure that they are safe.
“My family lives near the border, so I get really worried because many of the Israeli air strikes hit close to home. I have many close family friends and neighbours who were killed and so the fear is always there.”
Al Salibi’s family includes his parents, three sisters and two brothers. Since many of the attacks have targeted young male Palestinians, his mother is especially worried about his younger brothers — Mohammad, 22, and Saber, 21.
“She tries to minimise the amount of the time they spend outside because of what happened to me and because of what is happening to many young boys and children their age nowadays,” he says.
His brother Saber, who studies in university, has been virtually confined to his home since the attacks on Gaza started.
When asked whether he or his family suffered from any post-traumatic stress disorder after he was struck by a rocket, he laughed off the query. “Palestinians are used to this. We are used to the sound of bullets, bombs and air strikes. Unfortunately, it has become part of our identity.”
