AS a ceasefire was announced in the Middle East, we spoke to two Palestinian journalists living in Belfast about the situation in their homeland.
 
The two men from Gaza arrived in Belfast five months ago in search of a better life. Given the current situation, they did not wish to be named for fear of any repercussions that speaking out may have for their family in Gaza.
 
The current unrest began on 13 April, the beginning of Ramadan, when the Israeli police raided Haram al Sharif, damaging the sound system used by al-Aqsa muezzin’s call to prayer so that a speech being delivered nearby by Israeli president Reuven Rivlin would not be disturbed.
 
At the same time, they blocked off access to the Damascus Gate where Muslim worshippers congregate during the holy month.

The next day, tens of thousands of Palestinian worshippers were turned away from al-Aqsa, on the first Friday of Ramadan when Israel imposed a 10,000-person limit on prayers at the mosque.
 
Protests began in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian settlement that lies outside the Israeli recognised borders and site of a long running land dispute, on 6 May.
 
The settlement is home to many families who were displaced during Nakba in 1948. Thirteen of those families are currently facing eviction and a court has ruled that they  must vacate the land by 1 August.
 
During Ramadan, Palestinians in the area had been holding outdoor iftars and on 6 May, Israeli settlers and members of the far-right party Otzma Yehudit set up a table opposite them which led to clashes.
 
Speaking through a translator, one of the journalists described how it felt to watch the clashes unfold on social media: “It is a bad feeling seeing your country and the people of your country being disrespected like that.
 
“Being away from home while places around Jerusalem are being taken over makes it worse. You feel like you can’t do anything and you feel helpless” he said.

On 7 May, a large number of Israeli police were deployed to the al-Aqsa Mosque as around 70,000 people attended the final Friday prayers of Ramadan.
 
Police officers fired stun grenades into the Mosque compound. According to the Red Crescent, at least 215 Palestinians were injured, 153 of whom were hospitalised. The following night, militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel.
 
On 10 May, Israeli police stormed al-Aqsa for the second time, injuring 300 Palestinians. 250 Palestinians were hospitalised with their injuries and seven were in critical condition.
 
Detailing how it felt to see one of the most holy sites in the Islamic faith come under attack, I was told: “It was very angering to see one of the most holy sites being treated like that and to see it being destroyed.
 
“All international law prohibits the attacking of sacred places and as Palestinians we are prepared to fight to the end to protect the most sacred place in Palestine."

Being journalists, they were both horrified when they saw the building which once housed Al Jazeera and the Associated Press being destroyed by an Israeli rocket.
 
“It is completely indescribable to see journalists being attacked in this manner,” they said.
 
“Not only that, it is your country and your people. We certainly felt their fear and helplessness because when you work in Gaza you don’t know if you are going to be alive the next moment.
 
“It is very hard to know that I could be talking to my mum on the phone from Belfast and five minutes later you don’t know if she is alive. I would watch the news to see if our home has been bombed before I try to phone so that I wouldn’t be surprised by any information I might find out.
 
“Last week I saw friends of my family on the news. Twelve children where all killed in one attack. That proved to me that it is clear the Israelis do not differentiate between adults and children.

While a ceasefire has been announced in recent days, within hours posts appeared on social media showing that the Israeli forces had returned to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
 
Giving their thoughts on this, I was told: “They are an occupying force and this is what we expect them to do. In fact, we expect them to do worse but we will not give up and we will stay and fight for Palestine.
 
“From living in Belfast we have been overwhelmed with the support for the Palestinian people here but it is not enough. We need to see more people supporting the Palestinian cause and we wish that more people would sympathise what is happening in our country.
 
“I feel that everyone on earth should reflect on these two scenarios – how would you feel if someone was in charge of your land, your property and everything? How would you feel if you didn’t know whether your child would be alive in a few minutes? If you didn’t know what lay ahead tomorrow?
 
“The people in Palestine are human too. They deserve the right to life, they have lost everything – their homes, their land across Palestine.”

Recounting some of their experiences of life in Gaza, they added: “Most people just hear about airstrikes on the news but we have lived through them.
 
“You hear that a house has been bombed but because of the density of the population, when one house goes, ten of the neighbouring houses are taken with it.
 
“It is a terrible feeling not knowing what lies ahead. For example, once I was walking down the road and an apartment building beside me was targeted. I thought I was going to die as I didn’t know where the next rocket would land.”