ISBN: 9781905583713

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher:  Comma Press, 2015
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 1.7 x 20.9 cm

In July 2014, in response to the kidnapping and murder of three teenagers, Israel launched a wide-scale attack on the people of the Gaza Strip, lasting 51 days, killing 2145 Gazans (578 of them children), injuring over 11,000, and demolishing 17,200 homes. The global public outcry at this punishment of an entire people was coupled with protests at the pro-Israeli bias of much of the Western media. The usual news machine rolled up, and the same tragic scenes and heightened political rhetoric was aired, yet practically nothing was being reported of the lives of ordinary, non-political Gazans, the real victims of the war. One of the few voices to make it out was that of Atef Abu Saif, a writer and editor who d toured the UK just weeks before to launch an anthology of stories depicting ordinary Gazan life (The Book of Gaza). Atef s eye-witness diary pieces were published in a range of major outlets (The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Slate, New York Times, etc) and became a unique porthole into the conflict for Western readers. Here, his complete diaries of the war, offer a unique perspective on one of the world s most contested political crises. The foreword is written by renowned media critic and philosopher, Noam Chomsky.