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By Rami Ayyub, Leah Angel and Nidal al-Mughrabi
ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER (Reuters) – In another part of the world, they may have attended the same schools or shared Wi-Fi in the same cafes.
Although these young Instagram women live only a few kilometers from each other, they will probably never meet again. Palestinians in Gaza and one of them are Israeli schoolgirls living next to Gaza, separated by Israeli concrete and wire border fortifications.
But one thing they share is the desire to take control of their own stories. Both groups are convinced that their lives are poorly represented or misunderstood by the outside world.
The missiles have stopped flying – for the moment – and the eyes of the world have already moved after a week in which the fiercest rocket attacks and aerial shots have taken place since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.[USKCN1NI0RS].
But Gaza residents and Israeli border communities are still waiting for the next crisis, which rarely happens long.
"Gaza is closed, not many have access to it, and with Instagram, you can show Gaza to the world with your own eyes," said Manar Alzraiy, head of the "We Are Not Numbers" project, a Gaza-based program for young writers. , artists and photographers.
His group comments on the destruction and conflict in the Gaza Strip, but also seeks to broaden the narrative of war on Gaza by sharing the stories of ordinary people.
"When attacked by Israelis, we want to get our message across. But we must be aware of what our group is experiencing – stress, anxiety. We can not always do it, "she said.
On the Israeli side, the Instagram account Otef Gaza, which means "Gaza Periphery" in Hebrew, was created by a group of teenage girls in and around Kerem Shalom, a kibbutz next to the border.
The group presents photographs of farmland burned by incendiary devices launched in Israel during protests on the Palestinian border, as well as rockets fired by Gaza militants who send Israelis to shelter in shelters.
"People are not aware that it's about our reality and they simply ignore us," said Lee Cohen, 17, co-managing the account.
"You can not sleep because of the sirens of rockets, explosions, helicopters flying overhead and fear of Gaza terrorists entering a tunnel and trying to kill people."
Human problems
According to Palestinian health officials, 225 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire since the border demonstrations began on 30 March.
Israel says many of those killed were militants and its troops are defending the border. An Israeli soldier was killed during the demonstrations, when he was shot by Hamas.
In Gaza City, Alzraiy, 27, said the goal of "We are not numbers" was to "talk about the human problems" in Gaza.
"We get used to the feeling that at any moment something could happen," she said. "It's like for a second, you could lose your value as a human being."
Another Gazan, Fatma Abu Musabbeh, 22, takes another approach. She insists on showing only positive images. His account therefore contains well-kept gardens and stone buildings.
"When there is a war or a difficult situation, I post a photo or two to tell my supporters and the world that Gaza is beautiful, despite what is happening," said Abu Musabbeh.
Meshy Elmkies, 16, one of the Israeli instigators on the other side of the border, said that they were using the app because it is easy to use. organize information.
During a phone call with Reuters last week, the voice of his friend, Lee Cohen, suddenly died down.
"There is a red alert siren," she murmured. "Can we talk later?
(Edited by Andrew Roche)
