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Dec 11, 2024 | 
theintercept.com | Ahmed Dremly |Ahmed Alsammak
Yehya Qasem was having dinner with his family one evening in early October when the unmistakable sound of Israeli airstrikes pierced the air. The series of so-called firebelts were so deafening that his mom and siblings froze in fear, forsaking their meal of canned chickpeas. Qasem peered out the window to see what was going on. His family worried that Israeli troops would enter their town of Jabalia that night.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
thejournal.ie | Ahmed Alsammak |Christina Finn
IT WAS ALMOST 11:30 am on a Friday night a few weeks ago, when I decided to take a break from working on my dissertation. I made a cup of Turkish coffee, letting its distinctive aroma fill the room while listening to Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars and looking from the open window at the sky.
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
theintercept.com | Ahmed Alsammak
By the time Sharifa Aldremly’s family arrived in Rafah last December, her children had been without school for nearly three months. Israel had bombed their Gaza City home two days into the military’s assault on the besieged Strip, forcing them to take shelter in a hospital for a grueling month. Once that hospital came under siege, the family joined an exodus of doctors, patients, and displaced people.
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Sep 15, 2024 | 
middleeasteye.net | Ahmed Alsammak
When Anoud was diagnosed with stomach cancer in July 2023, she never imagined her path to recovery would unfold amid a brutal war that would tear her from her husband and two young daughters. That summer, when presented with a treatment plan, doctors informed Anoud that she would need to travel frequently to the occupied West Bank for chemotherapy sessions, as they were unavailable in the besieged Gaza Strip.
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Jun 15, 2024 | 
thejournal.ie | Ahmed Alsammak
IT WAS ALMOST 9 am last Saturday, Dublin time when I woke up to my landlord’s dog barking. I was so sleepy and tried to sleep but the loud barking made it impossible. Since 7 October last year, my family has been stuck in the war-torn strip, so I turn on the Wi-Fi first thing every morning to check the latest news from Gaza. Suddenly, tens of messages from WhatsApp and Telegram groups, all from relatives outside Gaza and friends, flooded the screen.
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Apr 2, 2024 | 
english.alaraby.co.uk | Ahmed Alsammak
From feast to famine: Gaza's bleakest Ramadan amid Israel's war Israeli bombs instead of calls to prayer. Ghost towns instead of busy markets. Grief instead of joy. Palestinians mourn the Gaza we lost, writes Ahmed Alsammak. I eagerly await Ramadan every year. Not solely for prayer and Quran reading, though I do partake, but for its fabulous vibes.
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Apr 2, 2024 | 
newarab.com | Ahmed Alsammak
I eagerly await Ramadan every year. Not solely for prayer and Quran reading, though I do partake, but for its fabulous vibes. The bustling marketplace comes alive with vendors hawking their wares - the air thick with the calls of "Kharoub!" and "Qatayef!"Each Ramadan, people across Gaza diligently clean their homes, preparing for social visits. While it's customary for Muslims to visit relatives regularly, these visits become more frequent during Ramadan.
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Mar 11, 2024 | 
thejournal.ie | Ahmed Alsammak
EXCITEMENT CRACKLED THROUGH me on 30 August 2023. It wasn’t just any day; it was a day that eclipsed even the joy of holding my newborn niece, Yafa, for the first time. Simply because I was finally leaving the world’s largest open-air prison: Gaza. The place I called home was about to be exchanged for what had become my second home – Ireland. Landing in Dublin on 1 September, I held a scholarship for an MBA at the Dublin Business School.
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Feb 20, 2024 | 
qudsnen.co | Ahmed Alsammak
By Ahmed AlsammakOn a bitterly cold night in Dublin last month, I was heading to a cultural event to watch a film about Palestine, showcasing our suffering under the Israeli occupation. I must confess, I was hesitant to attend. Being from Gaza, I felt I had already lived through the narrative – endless wars, an experienced survivor with unyielding scars. Yet, something drew me there. Last September, I left Gaza – the world’s largest open-air prison – for Dublin to pursue studies.
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Feb 19, 2024 | 
middleeasteye.net | Carla Denyer |Ahmed Alsammak
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague began hearing submissions on Monday on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. Separate to the more well-publicised genocide case brought by South Africa on Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip, the UN's highest court will hear from 52 countries and three international organisations on the legal consequences of Israel’s decades-long occupation.
