Perspective of a young mother in the Gaza Envelope

From the child who was born here. The one who has been aware and afraid of the possible dangers since she was young — since any of us really worried about infiltration. The young woman who had to move the venue of her wedding within three days’ notice — because it was supposed to have taken place at the pool on our kibbutz on the border on July 4th 2014 — when the escalation leading into the Operation Protective Edge had begun. From the young mother who decided to make this the place where she would have her babies. From MY baby: The perspective of a young mother in the Gaza Envelope:

“Last night the piercing alarm of the incoming rocket warning jolted me from my sleep, flooding my body with so much adrenaline that I couldn’t get back to sleep again. Today, Ziv, who understood that something bad was happening to us, lay in the safe room so frightened that she simply “shut down.” Her body understood that a 3-year-old should not have the ability to deal with a battlefield, so she just fell asleep.

“Our country must understand that the only possible option that is at all acceptable, is to end this round of violence only after a long-term, sustainable quiet returns to the surrounding area.

“This is NOT the life we deserve. And this is CERTAINLY not the life our children deserve.”