 You will know that we are live because I will start talking once it goes up A lot of people watching have been following what's been happening in Gaza that the Israeli military has been shooting live ammunition and caused the death of at least 17 people and over 1400 injured Over 750 of them by live fire That was last weekend and we're expecting another protest tomorrow, so we are here with Ahmed and Rana from the project. We are not numbers And they're in Gaza currently They are writers who live in Gaza and both of them last weekend were at the Great Return March Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and a little bit about the Project if we can start with you We are not numbers and also a freelance journalist Well, we are numbers is a story telling the project that aims to amplify the voices of youth of the Palestinian youth living in in Palestine and diaspora and Actually, the idea of the we are not numbers But they never Told the stories behind these numbers and the news So we are not numbers is started to amplify the voices and the human stories behind these numbers The idea that and how we work is that we there are writers putting writers from the Gaza Strip within with international mentors and authors So they could tell these stories in a very proficient and proper way we started after 2014 like we launched a project in 2015 with 20 writers from Gaza and Another 20 mentors and authors established authors and journalists around the world, but now we have expanded and we We are recruiting writers from the whole Gaza Strip the West Bank Jerusalem Lebanon and other Palestinians refugees around the world and That's about we are not numbers Rana, could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Yes. Hi there. First of all, thank you For letting us to talk to the people today. My name is Rana Schber. I'm a writer and an author for some author I'm a writer at we are not numbers This is my passion actually but my daily job is an English language trainer and Translator and I also work as an IELTS examiner average counsel And I'm a mother of three steps one set of triplets to a girl the wrong boy Thank you so much Both of you were at the Great Return March in Gaza last weekend Can you tell us what inspired you to go to the March? And then what it was like Rana first and then Ahmed Okay, so I'm last Friday Throughout the last week there were calls, you know for everyone that there's gonna be the Great March of Return and all the families were preparing to go and You know, you could just feel the atmosphere There was excitement in the air and I told my children that we're gonna go and you know see our country so We went there and It took us The streets were very crowded. It took us about an hour to get there When I got there actually I was very surprised. I felt like all of all of Gaza was there They were just you know tents everywhere and families sitting together on the ground with their kids fathers mothers children and My children this was the first time in their life to actually get a glimpse of Palestine even though it's just a borderline area and I think that's everyone there felt that it was a national duty for us to go there and and you know and raise our voices and Be peaceful doing that. So it was real I felt that there was everyone was inspired to go because they felt that this is a national duty for all of us Ahmed, could you tell us yourself? okay, actually As Rana elaborated the whole Gaza strip was anxious about was anxious and anticipated for this March of return because they have been the organizers have been promoting for this Brutus for a long time and actually it started on Friday And I really wanted to go in Friday because I felt it's a national and a moral duty to participate in this protest and Be with my people who are With the Question with the oppression they are being under I Didn't go in Friday because my mother was diagnosed with cancer and she needed lots of Caring and help but the rest of my family went there and my father and my brothers went on Friday When they came back actually and told me what they saw yeah, oh, please go on Yeah, so when when they told me what they saw and what they Well, what have been there? I was so irritated. I wanted to so bad to go So I went on the second day on Saturday and actually on one on Friday There were thousand like a quarter million people participated in the In the protest on Friday, but on Saturday the number of people like listened because you know so many people had like jobs and Things to do on the other days So I went there. I went to a Shadia like Loso and I was border and When I went there, I found that also there are hundreds of people parts within the in the protest. There was like an area between the border and between the first row of the of the Houses of Al Shajaiyan and it was really really awkward and weird and sad and funny at the same time that people Whole families participated in the protest not only youth from Gaza, but whole families like kids Little people girls boys families houses by spouses Everyone in the society participate in DC protests because they want they are fit up with the oppression that they have been under to and at the at the first of the The protest I saw that there is an ambulance and nurses trying to save a life of an injured Palestinian and among them were the lots of cards and vans trying to sell fruits and juice to the participants a Close I I have to be honest that I got really close to the border I was in the first line with these youth shouting for freedom and it was really sad that the Israelis meant and deliberately showed them in the knees and Among them there were people who are trying to sell candies So laughter and life and death were mixed and joined at the same time in the a protest and that was sad and special because you cannot see like these events happening in other place of the world you cannot see like families gathered in Circles I think they are taking selfies and among them and beside them There are people who are getting shot and injured and it's so mixed. It is so lovely and sad actually so That's how I did That's how I went and that's how I saw the events there Can you explain to us what the goals of the Great Return March are? Well, yeah, well first I would like to emphasize that they're the Residents of the Gaza 70% of them are refugees and they've been refugees for 70 years now And they were so oppressed by the Israeli occupation. So the organizers of this March are unpious They are Unaffiliated with any Palestinian Paction of party they are original people. They said that it is enough for the Palestinian to be refugees in their Own lands. They wanted to to go and say that we demand our rights Actually a protesting the is a right guaranteed by the international law and by the UN and The the Palestinian were bragging one of their rights Which is protesting and peacefully and they are demanding another right, which is the right of return And that was issued by the UN resolution 194 paragraph 3 so the Palestinians wanted to go and say that we do not want to be dependent on the UN and on our way We want to go back to our home lands. We want to participate. We want to practice our right of returning to our to our land and actually the the Brutus and the March of return started was planned to last for six weeks Starting from the Earth Day in the 13th the 13th of of March, and it will last to the 15th of May it was It wasn't prepared to be at the at the Located at across the Gaza Strip of at least 700 meters away from the border Yeah, and that's that's what I think the March of return is about. Is there any question? Regarding the Yeah Well, Rana, I was wondering if you could talk to us about the dates that were chosen for the beginning and the end of the March and what are the significance of the people behind the people behind the March who organized the March are an National committee which is comprised of all Palestinian factions. So it is not It is if this contradicts with the Israeli propaganda that this is a Hamas led March so And if you go there, you will see that you will see people from different factions different groups across the Palestinian society So this committee had long been Preparing for this March. So there was a preparation phase and then March 30th was the second phase in which In which the people started to camp in these March The significance of this date of course is that March 30th 1976 was a Palestinian land day and this day is commemorated every year by the Palestinians What happened was that the Israeli occupation forces tried to confiscate land a Palestinian land 42 years ago and the people there the Palestinians protested against their confiscation of their of their land Because you know confiscation means more displacement more displacement for people So what happened was that the Israelis retaliated with violence and Russian and they killed six Palestinian so for us we felt we commemorate this day every year because it's not just for notion or just to remember the past but because It's a way of Also resistance Because confiscation of land has not since every month every week. We see more settlements built on Palestinian land And more people are displaced. So this is the significance Of the first day which is March 30th The second day like Ahmed said the protest is the March process is a schedule to continue till May 15th And of course everybody knows that this is the day of the neck, but the Palestinian catastrophe Was were uprooted from their land and they were evicted from their homes and this place and they Were scattered, you know all over the world many of them took refuge. They went they traveled to Gaza many of them died on the way They're I think anybody who studies the neck, but we'll read these horrible stories of people, you know, just Leaving their homes being evicted from their homes and taking And going on foot to Gaza gave them died on the way from heat strokes from disease So this is a this is a day which ironically the Israelis You know, they celebrate as their independence day, but it is our catastrophe and neck of a day so the march is is going to continue till May 15th and We hope that by the international community will have found and that we are able actually to break the siege and to See our country Because this is something is it's only it's only it's It's only fair You know for these refugees to return to their land after 70 years and this this this this coming month May 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the neck of a so yeah, these two dates have very important significance in Palestinian history Rana Could you tell us how many people participating in Gaza in the protest and Also, we understand that you are a mother Triplets in fact and that you brought your children to the protest. Could you talk with us? About that. Yes regarding numbers I talked to one of the people in the national committee this morning and she told me that there was 250,000 participants participating in five different camps across Gaza strip, of course, all of them are located near the border 700 You know initial number, which of the people who went last Friday As a mother, I felt I mean I could not leave my kids at home. Let them watch me on television I think that there's a very sad When it comes to Palestinian children here Palestinian to my kids and other Palestinian kids Palestine is something in school textbooks and this is the sad reality which I have had to face as a mother and I think I can speak for all the months. So for instance in schools. They study national studies and It's really ironic. You know, they just see pictures of famous play Palestine in in a textbook So they would often come to me and say mom, where is this located? For example, the Ibrahim a mosque. It's located in Hebron So, I mean to them Hebron is as foreign as any other country they have been to because they just have to keep imagining Hebron Jerusalem is Palestinian cities, which they know nothing about I mean, tell me about a country in today's world where its own citizens go and visit Visit their own country. So when I took them to the to the rally and they this was the first time that they saw Just this is just a small glimpse of what was behind the fence And I asked them, how do you feel? This is this is our country. It's behind this fence And I also asked a friend this morning actually About taking her kids and she said that they had they answered the same questions Why do why don't we have beautiful trees like they do? Why there's so much space and I think that we have to educate our kids on Country and how it was stolen from them. So it's not we can't detach them from their surroundings from this environment This is the environment. They were forced to grow up and live in and I think that as parents and educators We have to tell them about their country and that one day we will return to Palestine I wanted to ask you a bit about women participating in the March You were there, but sometimes the images that we see coming out are just groups of young men and so I wanted to ask you How many women were there and how did it feel to to be there as a woman? Well, I saw hundreds of women there. I mean like I said, there were whole families I mean families sitting together, you know father mother and children sitting together There were hundreds of women there. I think You know, maybe they just men or even more women, you know, they're more passionate about, you know Doing this these kind of things Actually, there were women doing different things there. Some of them were then some of them were actually Cross-stitching Palestinian embroidery and some of them were doing debka with the with the men They were participating in every part and they were I saw some women, you know, children, you know about the place We were in and about And they they walked towards, you know, to the they walked down the path which leads to the Of course, they didn't get any clothes Some of them sitting in flag and they were trying to just to get as close as they could to the border and just plant This flag in the ground. I can say that women all over the place in the protest Ahmed, could you talk to us a bit about Those who were killed and injured Who they were and what they were doing When they were injured Yeah Then killed were civilian people civilian participants of the march. They were some of them were kids some of them were Youth they were participating peacefully and I would not say about anything that the media say I will tell you what I saw when I participated in the And the protests actually the the youth and I I actually have seen many many Participants being shot in the in the protest and they were actually a group like a few hundred people Gathering in the front line like the closest part to the Israeli Israeli fence and it was like two to three hundred meters away from the Israeli leads and for the first time in my life When I got there I saw the soldiers actually and the Israeli soldiers were I hid behind a Sandhill and they only their skulls were appearing to the people and they were are like holding their rifles and their sniper shooting Shooters actually the the participants and the youth have never posed any threat to the Israelis you know because whenever like, you know a Couple of hundred of people participated and they were in the closest part to the fence But none of them like hold a gun or a stone or a Molotov or anything at all They were peaceful and they were rising the Palestinian flags and they were shouting for freedom and the right of return, but actually and Personally, I think that the Israeli snipers were like a bragging their passion of shooting the Palestinians You know because when they are snipers and they were killing the Palestinians for fun And actually I saw them of the injuries the the the Israeli is deliberately Were shooting at the knees of the Palestinians and I have a friend in the level who who was a football player and he was he was like a couple hundred meters away from the Israelis and they shot him in both his legs and That ended his career and in his life actually The Israelis were provocative because they are distributed snipers and the fence and they actually prepared to kill the Palestinians and Actually and so far as we speak today to the Palestinians were killed like now the number of the Palestinians were our 20 killed and more than 105,000 Palestinians injured and I was wondering why would the Israelis a confront Palestinian civilians protesting with the rifles and the snipers How how would that happen actually in a civilized country? Okay, that's and actually some of the Palestinians who participated were not you Most of them were actually families with some of them were my kids some of them were women and let's let's like Let's imagine that the bad participants were throwing his stones actually to be honest I saw in the holocaust I saw only two people two young people the throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers and that's right only two among thousands of people were throwing Stones but these stones could never ever ever reach Israelis It's like too far away from the Israelis and the Israelis and the Israeli soldiers were hidden Behind the hell so they could never was a threat even if they throw stones. They could never reach the soldiers Could you talk a little bit about the weapons that the soldiers were using as you said the stones could never reach the soldiers and Those throwing them pose no no threat to the Israeli military But the military on the other hand, could you talk a bit about their weapons? run over me Go ahead Okay, I think that The Israelis used many kinds of weapons against the Palestinians. They used life ammunition which resulted in so many severe injuries like there is a report by the Ministry of Health today that Okay, beside that 20 people tell there are hundreds of people severely injured and day by day some of them are being Some of them die actually at the hospitals because the the kind of weapons that were used against them was like life ammunition Some they the Israelis also used a drone to Drones and they actually throw at the Palestinians tear gas and tear bombs So for as real is all kind of forbids are Prohibited against the Palestinians against the civilian Palestinians, but the Palestinians were not allowed even to to throw stones at the Israelis Rana you we spoke before about you bringing your children there and as we were just hearing about these horrific weapons Could you talk about any fears that you had? bringing your children there and also about the hopes and dreams that that you have for your children and how That feels growing up in under siege Well, I just want to add something about the weapons that were used that today the early morning Palestinian young man was killed using By a drone missile and this is the first time throughout the week of protest that this happens So it is clear that these soldiers are receiving orders from from their top officials to use maximum force Which I mean, it's really hard to just understand how you know all these soldiers who are so fortified and protected behind their gear and The mountains of sand they're standing behind how they would just attack a peaceful and vulnerable Protesters this way. So the Ministry of Health Also issued a statement saying that they they use these kind new kind of bullets, which actually Penetrate and explode inside the body and you might have seen images on social networks of how these The victims how they sustained these injuries when you just have this big gap or big hole in their in their legs And wherever they were targeted and all of this is against International law and these are internationally banned weapons. So, I mean and this is something it's not new to us I mean in 2008 that in the two two thousand eight aggression on Gaza the Israelis used white phosphorus. They used dime So Gaza to them is like a laboratory where they experiment their new weapons and and and yet we have never seen them, you know being prosecuted and We have had, you know, even doctors from outside to come together and you know witness These these events. So when I went to the to the protest, I mean, I I mean I don't like to feel that I'm different from other mothers every mother fears for her children But I was very careful not to take my children too close to the border. I Just wanted them to see, you know the scene what it was like and they they saw the Israeli soldiers from far and They saw the their vehicles and they just got, you know Got a glimpse of what the whole situation was like So as a mother, I would never endanger my children and take them down to the fence, for example Neither would any mother I think here in Gaza. We love our children like any mother in the world What I hope for the children of Palestine is that they just get a chance to live childhood If you come to Gaza, you will see that Palestinian children are not like any other children around the world Their their environment is infused with so many things that no other children See or even hear of so for example, if you ask any child here, even if he's six years old He'll tell you what kind of plane is in this is what kind of warplane is in the sky Like if it's an f-16 or if it's an Apache if it's a drone, you know, they have all this war terminology in their heads It's not something that we teach them But it's something that they acquire from this environment that they live in and we can't help it We can't detach our kids from this environment If you're walking down the street, you will see pictures of martyrs everywhere So they will ask you mom, who is this on the wall? So you have to answer them? This is someone who was killed. Why was he killed? So you have to tell them the story I also found myself having to teach my children about Palestinian prisoners at an early age because it was something also in their Arabic language textbook There was a story about a Palestinian prisoner who was released from prison. It was actually a very short lesson So my actually my son came home to me. He said mom. Why was she? Why was she prison did she steal something? So this is I mean they are pure Innocent children, but you know, they are forced to live a phase that is has nothing to do with childhood So I my hopes and dreams for my kids and for all the kids in Palestine to wake up to the sound of birds not bombs And if they have to wake up in the middle of the night I don't want them to wake up to a sound of an airplane or an F-16 Even I'd rather have them wake up to the sound of a cricket. I Just want them to you know Live the normal phase of childhood and I think that's something every child in the world deserves yesterday was Palestinian Children's Day and It's really ironic because you know comes at a time when the Israeli occupation forces They Imprisoned children now and they sentenced them to long months in prison. So I had the Tamimi Ahmad al-Manas and these are all kids They are these are just some of the names Any kids even as young as three years old can be snatched off the street and put in prison I mean, sometimes I feel that we're living in a jungle. Where is international law? So Kids are they get They are facing the same things that grown up grown ups face so they grow up to be different people So it is no wonder that you know, our children here in Palestine are different from children all over the world And it's not our fault, but this is how it is For freedom for your children, thank you. I have the Neda here with me. She wants to say something Come here, Neda You can introduce her to us Yeah, Neda Hurry up Yeah, she's a bit shy. Yeah, this is Neda Yeah, she's so old she's in seventh grade So I'm gonna ask her do you want to ask her something or I'm gonna ask her something about the March She went to the March last Friday Sure Could you tell us What made you want to go to the March and what your hopes are To come from this March from what will be six weeks of marches Yeah, she said because she wanted to see Palestine she has never seen any part Mm-hmm. She was born 2005 and she's never seen any part of Palestine except Gaza So that's why she went to the March Akhma, could you talk with us about how people are coping there with all of the deaths and How people are feeling about it Yeah Because when I went there at the Brutus, I wanted to write a story for why not numbers For Describing why do people Participate in the protest and actually that was One a question that I raised every time I interview with people well personally speaking Let me say that we are not superheroes and when this is in the scene everyone is a skirt And we do not claim that we are supermen. I've been in the second day and actually when the Israelis Showed one of the participants one of the protesters the rest of the people around him were scared away and they were Running away because they do not want to get killed the Palestinians Do not love death and they really love life But they participate in this protest because they want to say that they value life and they want to live a normal dignified life not not like being under oppression with the Israelis When I interviewed people I when I asked them, are you scared? They will actually be the young people said they are not scared But When the people see that they're one of their comrades is being killed they were really Irritated and the scared and but that killing the others and putting their comrades does not stop the Palestinians if from Participating in the protest. Do they get scared? Yes. Do they do they stop protesting? No, of course not killing the comrades actually makes them more courageous and the braver to continue the the struggle that their comrades Have started and actually we are the Palestinians all of them all of the people I interviewed the young and the old said that They value life. They came here to to demand their dignified life their normal life, but killing them and Shooting them in the knees does not really scare them off and does not really make them to stop the protesting And they all all of them every one of them that I said that they will keep Participating the Brutus even to the last day of the Israeli one of the kids that I interviewed say that I'm not scared of death I'm not scared of the Israelis because I am in my land and actually I'm writing and demanding My basic right of returning to my homeland. So why would I get the scared of the Israelis? They should be scared because they are occupying our lands and because they are really foreigners to this land um Yeah, that's it so as we were Sitting here on this webinar. I saw a headline that 50,000 people are expected tomorrow and I've also seen that Israel is saying that they are going to continue their policy of shooting anybody that that comes near the border Rana, could you talk to us a bit about the protests continuing? What you expect from tomorrow and going forward and if you and your children are planning to go Well, yes for tomorrow, I think that the protests will continue. We have reached a point where where there is no turning back We have I mean the the there's something really that's very Saddening and grieving about our situation is that people outside or the, you know, mainstream media in other countries They just focused on like, you know, the stone throwers or us being terrorists and they They they don't look at the whole context of the scene. I mean, we have been living under siege for 11 years a complete land air and sea blockade 45% poverty I mean the unemployment rate electricity outages No freedom of movement. No basic human rights practiced here We are deprived of the very basic humanitarian needs So all of I mean, what would you expect from all these angry people? So I think that people will continue to protest peacefully and I have actually seen many of my friends Talk about holding peaceful activities tomorrow Thanks for children like coloring painting Some teachers some university professors have actually Move their lectures to the borders and they are they're giving their students lectures there, which is very interesting many Famous artists in Gaza are are painting on tents there is going to be Some many palestinian women are cooking traditional foods now the borders like yesterday And they're doing embroidery and things like that. So the people are They're not changing their activities. They're sticking to being peaceful and protesting Peacefully to you know assert that they just want their land back And I think that's that the protests will continue and that there will be a no turning Backpoint until they achieve their goal Our hearts are with you tomorrow and as you continue To protest at the border and all of your efforts Ahmed before we wind up this Webinar if you could tell us what we in America and across the world Can do to support your efforts and your struggle and help you get the results that you need Yeah, actually, I think that there is a big part that lies on the shoulder of the international community because you know Personally speaking, I think that most of the palestinian's participating this Did not expect to go back to their land just after they participate in this protest But most of them most of the people I interviewed said that they are They're protesting and they are doing this much because they want the world to know that there are Palestinian refugees living in Gaza and that israel is all built on a lie and that israel is built on Stolen lands from the palestinians. So I think that We really really need the international community to raise awareness about our cause and all the media that we're doing All the seminars and webinars that we're doing here in Gaza All the protests is all directed to the international community because they want we want them really to know about the real cause and our real suffering of Palestine, we really want the the international community to raise awareness about our issue and for Everyone who's seeing us and watching us. We really need them to Share that in our social in their social media. We want the other world Who does not know anything about the people around the world who do not know anything about our cause? We want them really first to know the real problem the real conflict between the palestinians and the israelis It's not a clash actually. What's happening in Gaza now is not a clash it is Some israeli soldiers not being and killing the palestinians The unarmed the civilians palestinians We want the world first to know that that's the truth and then we want really we really want them to Share that in the social media to educate the other people who do not know anything about the palestinian cause We need the world to be an We need the people to be ambassadors to tell the people the other people what's really going on on the ground and also to use social media platforms to spread the world about What's going on if the international people if the international supporters can come to israel and come to the Gaza borders They will see the truth for themselves and we really need So there's something personal that happened to me when uh in the last israeli war. I lost my brother and My brother and five my friends. I lost them all at once and when that happened to me. I actually was devastated I was irritated and I was devastated more why because I felt that i'm losing Something really big i'm suffering alone But none of the world is knowing what is going on in the in palestine and I I really feel that i'm not appreciated I'm not hurt and i'm silenced by the israelis So what we really need uh from the international media is that To show show us that they care about us that they know the truth and they are um They are supporting us only maybe social media can do it maybe social media and uh sharing our stories can like make us feel better and Personally, I would think that is enough Um and really I think that we um should in care encourage the The international supporters to hold different sit-ins And solidarity and raising awareness campaigns because our people in the kubai territories and Jerusalem and the wispank full of these activities very well So I want to thank both of you for being on with us and speaking with us and sharing your stories and we are Here to be ambassadors for peace as you struggle and as you go to the border Tomorrow and for the next six weeks For everybody who's watching you can read about ahmed's and rana's writings. You can read their writings and the writings of Others from gaza On the we are not numbers website. It's we are not numbers dot org and you can find that as well in the comment section of this facebook live and I know that ahmed and rana are part of a team of writers there and so we want to encourage everybody to go to that site and read Many stories from gaza and please share them as well in your social media Again, we wish you all the love and solidarity tomorrow and we look forward to hearing from you both again Thank you so much for hosting us and I really recommend the other people to Visit our website. We are not numbers at org and they will see lots of Untold human stories behind numbers in the news. Thank you so much for supporting us Thank you so much for holding up for hosting us today