{"id":100481,"date":"2025-09-11T12:55:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=100481"},"modified":"2025-09-11T12:55:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:55:45","slug":"gaza-youth-speaks-on-life-under-siege-we-are-fighting-just-to-stay-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/gaza-youth-speaks-on-life-under-siege-we-are-fighting-just-to-stay-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza Youth Speaks on Life Under Siege: \u201cWe are Fighting Just to Stay Alive\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a><\/em>
\n3-minute read
\n11 September 2025 | 12:55 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf8 \u201cI\u2019ve been displaced 16 times at 18, and still we fight to stay alive,\u201d says Amir Ismail, a Gaza youth whose resilience shines amid relentless conflict and loss.<\/p><\/div>\n

An 18-year-old from Gaza, Amir Ismail, has shared a harrowing testimony of life under constant bombardment and displacement, painting a raw picture of survival amid the ongoing war. Speaking to Radio Islam International<\/em>,<\/a> Amir described the daily reality as one of fear, resilience, and relentless displacement.<\/p>\n

Carrying his bag during the interview, Amir revealed he was once again preparing to evacuate after receiving fresh orders to leave the north of Gaza. \u201cThey wanted to kick us from here, they wanted to occupy our land, and they wanted to steal from us. I\u2019ve been displaced 16 times, and I don\u2019t know until when. It\u2019s actually a nightmare,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

Despite returning home after spending over a year in a tent, Amir explained that his family\u2019s house was burned, forcing them into unsafe areas once more. \u201cThere is no area in Gaza that is safe. We tried. If we go to the south, they bomb us there too. It\u2019s like a game they are playing with us,\u201d<\/em> he added.<\/p>\n

For Amir, the word \u201cgenocide\u201d is not an abstract concept but a daily reality etched into every sound of bombing and every empty plate. \u201cWhen we see children starving to death, when women, journalists, doctors, and families are killed without distinction, it breaks us. At 18, I should be thinking about school, my dreams, my future, but instead I am only thinking about how to survive the next hour. We have lost our homes, our future, and so many of our loved ones. This is the life of every Palestinian in Gaza, a life of loss, but also of resilience. We are fighting not for luxury, not even for comfort, but simply for the right to stay alive,\u201d<\/em> Amir said, his words echoing the pain of an entire people.<\/p>\n

Even under unimaginable hardship, faith and resilience remain central. \u201cAll the people in Gaza, we keep saying Alhamdulillah for everything, even if we are in a bad situation. We still have hope, even though we are exhausted. We are human, we do feel, and we do have a heart. But we believe the better days are coming, Inshallah,\u201d<\/em> Amir shared.<\/p>\n

He urged people outside Gaza not to underestimate their influence. \u201cDo not call yourself powerless. Every voice, every action makes a difference. Put pressure on your governments. We see you, we appreciate everything you do. Do not stop,\u201d<\/em> Amir appealed.<\/p>\n

As bombs continue to fall, Amir\u2019s words are both a testimony and a plea, a reminder that behind every statistic lies a soul still clinging to dignity and hope. His resilience is not just his own, but that of an entire people who refuse to surrender their humanity. For Palestinians in Gaza, survival itself has become resistance. Amir\u2019s voice calls on the world to do more than listen, to speak out, to act, and to ensure that their suffering is neither normalised nor forgotten.<\/p>\n

Watch<\/strong> the full interview on The Daily Round-Up<\/a> with Annisa Essack and Amir Ismail Live from Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 11 September 2025 | 12:55 CAT An 18-year-old from Gaza, Amir Ismail, has shared a harrowing testimony of life under constant bombardment and displacement, painting a raw picture of survival amid the ongoing war. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Amir described the daily reality as one of fear, resilience, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":100486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4998,4997],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-ummah","category-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG-20250911-WA0007-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-q8F","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 08:44:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}