Opinion: Overnight, an Israeli strike turned my family's home in Gaza into a graveyard

On 27 September, I woke up at 5.10am in my apartment in Turkey, feeling suffocated and thirsty.

I was uneasy for no clear reason. I reached for my phone to read the latest updates from Gaza. I saw a message in my town's news-sharing group in Gaza that an Israeli air strike had targeted my family's home.

I texted my brother, Abood, but the message did not go through. Moments later, my mother, who now lives near me in Turkey, called. Her voice trembled with fear as she asked whether I had read the news. I walked straight out of my apartment and down the road to her house.

My heart froze, and my chest felt heavy. I refused to believe that my worst nightmare during the Gaza genocide had become real, but the feeling of suffocation would not go away.

On the way, I called a friend in Gaza. Together, we managed to reach my sister, Sarah. That small victory gave me hope that my family had survived.

Read more: Opinion: Overnight, an Israeli strike turned my family's home in Gaza into a graveyard by Yousef Aljamal