A walk in the fields

For a little over a month the cease fire has come to an end.

Yesterday morning my wife and I decided to walk to the fields. I said to her that it may be a mistake to leave our kids alone at home, but she said "we cannot let the rockets control our life". We kept walking, hoping that no rockets will be fired today. After about 15 minutes away from our home we heard the rocket alert. We had no where to hide so we both lay flat on the ground covering our heads. This is the safest thing to do when out in the open while rockets fall.
We heard the rockets fall at a distance and ran quickly home. We called our kids on the cell phone and made sure they were safe. They were all fine inside the safe room. The rockets fell somewhere in an open field, and no one was hurt.

On November 4th Israeli armed forces entered Gaza and as claimed blew up a tunnel that was being dug towards the Israeli border. As a result Palestinian forces attacked the Israeli forces, and the circle of blood has returned...

Since then the region has been slowly but surely moving back into instability. With Qassam rockets and mortars being targeting Israeli communities and Israeli helicopters and tanks targeting Palestinian locations. Several Palestinians have been killed. Several Israelis injured, All people in the region are in fear of further escalation.

We lived for almost 5 months in a ceasefire situation. On my side of the border things had returned to normal and we finally once again felt safe. Kids played freely outdoors, streets filled once again with people, and the constant fear of the rocket alerts had disappeared.

My kids went to sleep in their room again instead of the safe room, and I could walk out to the fields surrounding the town without the fear of being out in the open with no where to hide.

During this time I have been in touch with many friends of mine in Gaza, and from them I heard a very dark and troubling reality.

The siege Israel had imposed on them continued. Basic items were allowed into Gaza, however manufacturing materials and many other items that are needed for normal life were not allowed. They had many power shortages and had very little fuel and cooking gas. People could not enter of leave Gaza and could not start living a normal life since the economic and employment situation remained as it was before.

As Peaceman mentioned, hundreds of Palestinian students and been stranded in Gaza. Some, like Peaceman, have already missed 2 years of academic studies.

Neither side took advantage of these 5 months to work out a solution that will prevent the return of violence, and now it is back. Once again talks about major Israeli attacks on Gaza and major rocket attacks on Israel. Politicians on both sides blaming the other side for the situation and hope for the civilians in the region is once again very slim.

Once again we should all call to end the violence, open the siege, start talking and bring back hope to us, civilians on both sides, pawns in the unbearable senseless political game.

Let us live with dignity, freely, quietly and securely in this region!