Mounds of trash are seen at the former site of the Souk Feras in Gaza City, which was transformed into a landfill during the war, on April 21, 2025. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa/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 with L'Orient Today during the war.My father’s old-fashioned fabric shop, inherited from my grandfather, is right across what used to be one of Gaza’s proudest landmarks: Souk Feras (al-Feras Market). Day after day, we opened our shop’s doors to the sounds and smells of that place — vendors shouting prices, shoppers bargaining, the scent of mint, fresh bread and warm fabric filling the air. The market sat right on Omar al-Mokhtar Street, a street that once pulsed with energy, trade and people. For decades, Souk Feras was the heart of the city. It spanned 33 dunums and was made up of tightly packed alleys full of life — vegetables, meat, fabrics, pots, shoes,...
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 with L'Orient Today during the war.My father’s old-fashioned fabric shop, inherited from my grandfather, is right across what used to be one of Gaza’s proudest landmarks: Souk Feras (al-Feras Market). Day after day, we opened our shop’s doors to the sounds and smells of that place — vendors shouting prices, shoppers bargaining, the scent of mint, fresh bread and warm fabric filling the air. The market sat right on Omar al-Mokhtar Street, a street that once pulsed with energy, trade and people. For decades, Souk Feras was the heart of the city. It spanned 33 dunums and was made up of tightly packed alleys full of life — vegetables, meat, fabrics, pots,...
