On his family’s farm, he waits out an adversary that causes a chaos far different than what he’s accustomed to. Today’s AP Virus Diary is from faresakram in Gaza.
In this April 9, 2020, photo, Fares Akram’s family’s farm is seen in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, and on the horizon the Israeli border. Akram hadn’t spent more than a single night at his family’s farm on the northern edge of Gaza since an Israeli airstrike killed his father there more than a decade ago. But the arrival of the coronavirus has upended his family’s notions of danger and refuge.
During the three wars and countless skirmishes fought between Israel and Hamas since the militant group seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, the borderlands were the front line. Israel would carry out airstrikes, shelling and sometimes full-scale incursions, usually in response to Palestinian rocket fire.
But a couple of Palestinians returning from Pakistan tested positive, and now authorities have reported a total of 13 cases. Hamas insists it has isolated all the cases and says the situation is under control. Many Gazans seem to accept that. We awaken to the smell of orange and clementine blossoms from the orchards outside, and songbirds instead of car horns. Nearby, the heavily guarded frontier is quiet. In the pandemic, Israel and Hamas appear to have found a common foe.I was born and raised here. I have spent my career reporting on the blockade, the wars and the astonishing resilience of my fellow Gazans.
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