Watching Gaza

On ceasefire, condemnations, and the deterioration of language.

However you found your way here, welcome! I’m Emily, and I write letters about how we seek and tell stories to make sense of a changing world and our place in it.

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Soon after I wrote this letter, it was reported that the Netanyahu government and Hamas had reached a “temporary ceasefire” agreement on November 24, 2023 for the release of some hostages on both sides. As we all know, that pause in fighting ended on December 1.

I took these photos in Berlin on the night Gaza first went dark, unable to communicate with the outside world. The wet leaves on the streets made me think of blood stains. We were suspended in a kind of strange limbo, enjoying dinner outside surrounded by glass clinking and loquacious cheer while our thoughts remained with something happening far away that had nothing and everything to do with us, while we wondered what news the next day would bring.