Mohammed R Mhawish

Nov 29, 2024 | mohammedmhawish.com | Mohammed R Mhawish

I was born under a sky lit by explosions instead of stars. My mom brought me into the world in the middle of war, during the Second Intifada, and if I’d known what was waiting for me, I might’ve slipped back into her womb. But babies don’t get a choice, so out I came — headfirst into war, blockade, and a life shaped by survival. Now I’m 25, and nothing has changed. Gaza, again, is living through hell. The drones buzzing, warplanes roaring, and sleepless nights have become a permanent routine.

Nov 1, 2024 | mohammedmhawish.com | Mohammed R Mhawish

“What does it mean to be a survivor?”People ask me that sometimes, and sometimes they just assume they know. Some see survival as this clean thing, like a story of resilience and triumph. I’ve been called strong after so, so many “I’m sorry about that” sort of things. But let’s not make a snap judgement. We’ll come to that. I’ve known survival as something completely different. It’s something I can’t quite describe, something I feel in my chest, my bones, my coffee — a heaviness that never goes away.

Oct 19, 2024 | mohammedmhawish.com | Mohammed R Mhawish

At the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, power is now out, and food supplies have dwindled. And while the sounds of crying children and the groans of the injured are growing constant, the doctors and nurses are standing their ground. For the past seven days, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Kurd has not slept for more than a couple of hours at a time. “I close my eyes, but I can still hear the explosions,” the 35-year-old ER physician says, his eyes bloodshot and face pale.

Oct 14, 2024 | mohammedmhawish.com | Mohammed R Mhawish

I am utterly devastated by the footage that came last night from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. It was around 2 a.m. when an Israeli air strike tore through the tents of the displaced, where families, patients receiving treatment, and many of my friends and colleagues were sheltering, casting a horrific, searing glow of fire that soon consumed the place they thought would provide safety.

Oct 11, 2024 | mohammedmhawish.com | Mohammed R Mhawish

Ten months after Israel killed Refaat Alareer, I still can’t bring myself to write about him in the past tense. The weight of his absence presses on me daily, a relentless reminder of the void he left behind. His name still feels too alive, too present, for the language of grief. But beyond my grief, one truth stands clear: Refaat wasn’t—isn’t—just an iconic figure to our people, an artist, and a national voice—to me, he was all that and so much more.