‘As the bombs fall, I write’: The poets of Gaza
Al Jazeera
‘Growing up in Gaza is inspiring for poets – life here is poetry blown into pieces and scattered all over the place.’
Children eagerly thumbing through books in the kids section, youngsters scanning the covers, undergraduates searching for a quiet spot to work, others drinking their coffee as they read. The smell of incense. The piles of books. The yellow banner bearing the name Samir Mansour – the library and bookstore that was home to Gaza’s most passionate readers. I was a student of English literature – searching out novels, poetry collections, books from around the world – when I found it, directed there by friends who knew I would find what I was looking for. The first time I entered, I marvelled at its tens of thousands of books and left with a poetry collection by the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and a Russian novel that had been translated into Arabic. It was the largest bookstore in Gaza. Now just a few books remain – among them Ghassan Kanafani’s novel Returning to Haifa – the story of a Palestinian couple who goes back to Haifa after the 1967 war to look for their baby, whom they were forced to leave behind in the war of 1948 (Nakba). How did that book survive all the flames and all the smoke to tickle our blazing yearning for our missing homeland and our missing Haifa?
These were the key developments on the 1,014th day of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Millions of Palestinians face the threat of famine as food supplies reach new lows.
Taijul Islam’s five-for helps the visitors win the second Test at Sabina Park and level the two-match series.
The US aims to grow its influence in sub-Saharan Africa.
These were the key developments on the 1,014th day of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Parliament voted later in the evening requiring President Yoon to lift the martial law he declared earlier.
Israeli forces have attacked residential buildings, shelters for displaced people and public facilities in Gaza City.
The attack comes as violence in Syria intensifies, with opposition fighters advancing against government positions.
The tech firm says its defences were able to defeat AI-driven misinformation operations from gaining an online foothold.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, won with 57 percent of the vote, flouting predictions that she might be forced into a run-off.
Israeli officials threaten to expand attacks on Lebanon if the ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses.