My friend lives in Gaza City. Her dad waa killed during the first few days of the “ceasefire.” Her little brother is ten and he doesnt speak anymore. He is the sweetest little boy.

We were in almost-daily communication but she and her family had to move to a new apartment in an area that suffered a lot more damage so there is no internet. Her house and her mom’s chicken farm was destroyed and no one can work (my friend is a lawyer) or go to school (she has two brothers in college, two in high school, and one in elementary).

She told me there are still a lot of attacks and there is no real ceasefire. Gaza isn’t really in the news here in America anymore, which is discouraging to me.

My friend’s people are being exterminated and their homeland (they have no nation) has been obliterated.

Israel is a fascist ethnostate. It’s surreal. To be clear, I am not citicizing Jews writ large or Israelis for BEING Jewish. This is about their actions and their own statements.

I know it’s nothing compared to what the Palestinians are actually going through, but it’s been hard to deal with. I don’t know anyone else with friends there so it isn’t very helpful to talk to people I know about it. They all just get uncomfortable; I don’t blame them but it’s just not comforting.

I’m heading to a conference that several of my friends from NM that I haven’t seen since I moved this past summer are also attending. Super psyched to get to hang out with them!

Bleeehhh. v.v