Youssef Shalha was hoping to buy flowers or a teddy bear to give to his fiancée Bisan Baddah on Valentine's Day. However, since the war in Gaza separated them, the only romantic gesture he can still make is to send her a voice message expressing his love. The Israeli air and ground attacks have turned life's simplest aspects in Gaza upside down for over four months, leaving almost all residents of the strip homeless and unable to plan for their future.
Shalha, who intended to marry Bisan in April, said: "There’s nothing left that’s nice; after the war, where do I go, where do I come?" They had both planned to visit their families during the upcoming Ramadan. He added: "Sadly, there’s no one left to visit; all our relatives have been bombed, all have been destroyed, all have been demolished."
Shalha now lives in a tent in Rafah in the southernmost part of the strip after initially fleeing his home in Beit Lahia, then moving from a shelter in Khan Younis as the Israeli assault progressed. It is difficult for him to arrange to see his fiancée, who is living in a tent with her family elsewhere in the city, especially since her birthday falls on Valentine's Day. The two exchange voice messages when they can, but communication is extremely difficult in Rafah, and Shalha has not been able to reach Bisan for two days.
He said: "I’m waiting for the communications to open, and I’ve been trying to call her for two days; there’s neither internet nor calls... I’m just waiting for the line to open so I can deliver this modest gift to her," showing the small gift he bought for her to replace the gifts he had originally wanted to give before the conflict disrupted their plans.
Shalha clarified that "Valentine's Day is known to be all about red roses and red hearts. At this time, red has become the color of blood. I mean, everything red you can imagine is destruction... we’ve come to fear the color red; we no longer love it as we used to."
