Mousa Ghoul, a Palestinian man living in Gaza, speaks of the bittersweet feelings following the ceasefire unfolding after more than 400 days of war
A Palestinian man has spoken of the jubilee that came with news of a ceasefire in Gaza but is heartbroken at the prospect of returning to ashes after more than 400 days of bombing and lack of aid causing starvation and death.
Mousa Ghoul, who is currently living in a tent with his family, tells the Mirror about the bittersweet feelings in Gaza – happiness that there is a potential end in sight, but horror at the prospect of starting from scratch again.
But his resolve is strong – he and his family saw similar attacks in 2014 whereby a military operation was launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that has been governed by Hamas since 2007.
Though the end to fighting was welcome news to the region, since the ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday, at least 123 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service.
Mousa is holding on to hope that he and his family will survive the end of the war and return home when the rebuilding can begin, with aid trucks finally reaching the impoverished region.
Mousa recalls how the 2014 attacks in Gaza left similar devastation but they were able to rebuild, though slowly. In fact, it wasn’t until 2023 that his family home was restored – only to be bombed later on following the attacks breaking out post October 7.
In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Mousa says: “Our house is completely destroyed but we will rebuild – we’ve done it before”
Of the ceasefire, Mousa tells us: “We’re angry and hurt that it took so long for a ceasefire, in addition to the fact that we lost many loved ones as martyrs, it will be difficult to adapt to life without them. Our house was bombed in the 2014 war, but we were able to rebuild it in 2023 and live in it just one month before the war began. We will rebuild our house again but we need a lot of time, effort and money. I hope this time it will be different and we can rebuild again quickly”.
He and his family, including brother Youssef who is non verbal and has had kidney stones, requiring a specialist diet, have been living in a tent.
With restrictions by Israel on aid trucks getting into Gaza, food has been scarce in Gaza resulting in a humanitarian crisis. This has been especially difficult for little Youssef who needs to eat gluten-free items and a diet that doesn’t flare up his kidney issues.
To help with this, Mousa set up a Gofundme to help Youssef with treatment. Mousa is elated at the prospect of the ceasefire allowing for Youssef to receive the help he needs. He added: “We are very happy that the genocide will stop and that Youssef will be able to complete his treatment. We will return to the north in a week and Youssef will travel to complete his treatment.
Mousa continued: “The cost of the surgery and some other supplies remains. As for rebuilding the house, we do not really know what we will do. Maybe we will stay in a tent.
“Unfortunately, our house is completely destroyed. We need to rebuild it and start a new life. We need your prayers and support in order to be able to continue.
“My sister suggested that we do another fundraising campaign and set a small goal to at least build the foundations of the new house, but I opposed the idea because most people are getting bored with our cause, and in addition, Youssef’s campaign has not completed its goal yet.”
You can find out more and support Youssef’s GoFundMe on their page.
