I sit now on a broken chair, my laptop resting on my lap. The heat of the device, and the heat of the weather, stings me. In this weather, the tents are ovens cooking the bodies of the displaced. I'm trying to organize my new literary work. My wife calls out to me in an angry tone: "Get up and light the lighter, or buy another one." Ignoring her, I continue writing. The heat stings me, and with it, the impossible demands. A lighter in Gaza is an impossible request?! Yes. The city is now without lighters, and if you find one, its price is almost the same as a gas cylinder in neighboring countries. A friend of mine jokingly messaged me privately, commenting on the episode I was featured on the "Haki Al-Bilad" podcast: "A wonderful and special interview... and while I was engrossed in the conversation, my lighter broke, and now I have to fix it or buy a new one." I texted him back, while my wife's anger grew inside: "Buy me another lighter too." Then I promised my wife I'd go to the market this evening, hoping I could fix it. My friend replied: "I'll buy one for both of us... if the code arrives." For those outside Gaza, to translate the last line: "The code" is a fixed financial allowance sent via a code to the phones of some displaced people as humanitarian aid, approximately once every three months. People here are overjoyed by it, as it might solve, even if only temporarily, one of life's endless problems. By the way, since I was displaced, I haven't received the code even once, for reasons I don't know. And this evening, I have to get a lighter for my family, otherwise we won't be able to light a fire. What can we do? Life is... Are you determined to corner us with details? Very trivial details. Quite ordinary in other countries, but in a war-torn land, they can determine whether dinner will be cooked or not, whether the family will have a cup of tea, or whether they will spend the night waiting for a small miracle called a lighter. Dr. Saeed Mohammed Al-Kahlout Mental Health Specialist and Writer Gaza, Palestine #Gaza #writing #palestine #genocide #War #StopGenocide #freepalestine #freeGaza #fyp #gazaverified #mastodon