Palestinians gather to receive a hot meal at a food distribution centre in Gaza’s Nuseirat displacement camp on April 30, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)
Noor al-Yacoubi is a 26-year-old translator and writer. She hasn't left the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been sharing reflections on her life during the war since the first November cease-fire. As food runs out amid Israel's unrelinquishing grip on Gaza's borders, Noor describes to L'Orient Today her state of mind and that of her friends, family and neighbors in the besieged enclave.“Joyful” doesn’t begin to describe how I felt. I was thrilled just to eat tomatoes and cucumbers again for breakfast. I used to say, “As long as tomatoes and cucumbers are here, I’ll be fine.” It sounds simple, but in northern Gaza, where fresh produce had vanished for months, it felt like luxury.During the one-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January, we could finally breathe. We could sleep without...
Noor al-Yacoubi is a 26-year-old translator and writer. She hasn't left the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been sharing reflections on her life during the war since the first November cease-fire. As food runs out amid Israel's unrelinquishing grip on Gaza's borders, Noor describes to L'Orient Today her state of mind and that of her friends, family and neighbors in the besieged enclave.“Joyful” doesn’t begin to describe how I felt. I was thrilled just to eat tomatoes and cucumbers again for breakfast. I used to say, “As long as tomatoes and cucumbers are here, I’ll be fine.” It sounds simple, but in northern Gaza, where fresh produce had vanished for months, it felt like luxury.During the one-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January, we could finally breathe. We could sleep...