Gazans Hunker Down in 'Worst' Time of All

Lentils and bread nearly are all Safwat al-Kahlout can offer the 20 relatives holed up in his powerless Gaza City apartment, he writes in the Christian Science Monitor. As Israeli tanks roll through the city's outskirts, family members have fled inward to his flat. "I took my clothes and underwear and ID cards so I could be identified if killed in one of the explosions," says an uncle. “This time is the worst of all,” his aunt tells him.

Like her, the Gazans who stand in snaking bread lines every day are losing hope, says al-Kahlout: “They see no end in sight. If the Palestinians are the only ones dying, no one will care.” So "when they hear of a Hamas missile striking Israel, cheering begins." (More Arab Israeli conflict stories.)