Originally published on May 20, 2021 11:25 am
The battle between Israel and Hamas is taking a deep toll on people in the Gaza Strip, where families are being forced to live in a war zone. And in separate interviews with NPR, two people — one in Gaza, one in Israel — who spoke about the violence also discussed their desire to keep children safe.
One view came from Gaza, where a father of a young son says he is desperate for safety and security — conditions that seem hopelessly out of reach amid sustained airstrikes and artillery barrages conducted by Israel.
"We just don't want to die under the rubble of our houses," says Bilal Shbair, an English teacher who lives in the central Gaza Strip.