This piece is the first of our communications team’s recap series to highlight our trip to Palestine in the summer of 2022.

The First Look

700 words are not enough to capture my first trip to Palestine. Even words like ‘eye-opening’ and ‘painful’ do not do it justice. 

The UNRWA USA Communications team took our first trip to the field this year. I set foot into the occupied Palestinian territory on June 26, 2022. As we drove from Amman to King Hussein’s bridge to cross into Palestine, I couldn't stop thinking about my orphaned Jiddo (grandfather) who had to walk on foot from the Old City of Jerusalem to Amman, in 1949. The journey by car was intense enough - a mix of deep valleys, harsh rocks, and warm wind. I cannot wrap my head around how so many made this journey. Of course, my Jiddo was no exception. As a result of the Nakba, thousands of Palestinians endured such circumstances as they fled their homeland.

After crossing the bridge with our UN colleagues, it felt surreal to be on Palestinian soil. A customary Palestinian tradition involves singing celebratory ululations when new events occur, typically done at graduations and weddings. When I entered the car that would take us to our hotel in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian UNRWA colleague and our Communications Director, Laila Mokhiber, began singing me ululations, celebrating my entrance into Palestine

40 minutes later, we were crossing under a highway tunnel when our driver told us to look to our left, and have our camera phones ready. It was only a few seconds before I saw it. It took my breath away as I gasped, and tears swelled in my eyes. To my left was Jerusalem in all its glory, and the golden brilliance of the Dome of the Rock, nestled in a sea of trees.

Our team stayed in Palestine for a week, visiting UNRWA’s areas of operations in Gaza, Bethlehem, and Um Al Khair village in Masafer Yatta on the outskirts of Hebron. The bulk of our visit was focused on Gaza, where UNRWA’s incredible work is seen in every aspect of Palestine refugee life. 

day one in gaza

During our first day in Gaza, we were met with the vibrant and energetic start of ‘Summer Fun Weeks’ at UNRWA’s school in Jabaliya refugee camp. ‘Summer Fun Weeks’ serve about 120,000 Palestine refugee children and youth in the Gaza Strip. As we walked into the school, Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ song was blasting, and children were divided in groups across the playground performing different activities. From volleyball and hula hoop dancing to beginner gymnastics, refugee students were spending their summer in laughter. Despite a land, air, and sea blockade and numerous military assaults, it was a sigh of relief to see the youth of Gaza escape their reality for a few hours each day.

The older students participated in different activities related to hand crafts, painting, drama, and puppet shows. My team and I watched a performance of Red Riding Hood done by the students in the storytelling club. The girls’ English skills were impeccable, and this - alongside learning Palestine has a higher literacy rate than Portugal - served as a reminder of UNRWA’s unwavering educational system. 

A major theme we noticed during our visit to the school was the strong emphasis on mental health. Summer Fun Weeks rely on a rotation system where each group of students rotates from one activity to the next. Such a system enables students to participate in daily activities related to mental health led by UNRWA’s mental health counselors. We also watched a drama skit with students playing the role of a counselor and parent. The counselor was educating the parent about the symptoms of depression, and how the parent can help their child. The short skit made me realize that not only is UNRWA raising awareness about mental health issues, it is also taking baby steps to normalize conversations between refugees around mental health in Gaza.

Colorful Gaza

Art and colors are major themes in UNRWA schools. Wherever we looked, we saw colors. It was eye-catching, energizing, and in some aspects a welcome sanctuary from the grim reality outside of the school’s gates. Harley, Laila, and I painted the walls of the school with the students, and our visit ended with the planting of a Cypress tree and writing messages of support on the big whiteboard for all of the students and teachers to read. 

We said our goodbyes to the summer camp students and headed to UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office (GFO) in Gaza City for managerial and operational meetings with different UNRWA staff. Bright fuchsia, orange, and red flowers decorate the communal garden in the field office compound, reinforcing my beliefs of Gaza’s spirit and the beauty of its people. In our meetings at GFO, we discussed ways to better coordinate and expand support to Palestine refugees, reiterating the importance of American support in continuing UNRWA’s services to refugees in Gaza.  

sunsets by the Mediterranean

Around 5 pm, we headed back to our hotel to unwind and decided to take a walk near the beach. As the Mediterranean sparkled, the sun’s rays feeling like arms welcoming us to Gaza, we geared up for the next day ahead…