Palestinians stand in line in front of a food distribution point, waiting to collect a pot of lentil soup, in the northern Gaza Strip, on July 27, 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. Today she speaks of the bitterness she feels over the childhood that war has stolen from her daughter, Lya, and the rituals she puts in place to help them both forget — if only for a moment — the horrors of the Israeli aggression that destroys everything around them.Painting has become my favorite time with Lya. Not because either of us is especially passionate about it. It’s not about art, it’s about safety. It’s the only activity we can share that feels remotely normal while the world around us falls apart.Since the war began, Lya hasn’t lived a single normal day. Not one. She’s never been to a park or a playground. She’s...
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. Today she speaks of the bitterness she feels over the childhood that war has stolen from her daughter, Lya, and the rituals she puts in place to help them both forget — if only for a moment — the horrors of the Israeli aggression that destroys everything around them.Painting has become my favorite time with Lya. Not because either of us is especially passionate about it. It’s not about art, it’s about safety. It’s the only activity we can share that feels remotely normal while the world around us falls apart.Since the war began, Lya hasn’t lived a single normal day. Not one. She’s never been to a park or a...
