In a year of war between Israel and Hamas, the people of Gaza have lost nearly everything: their loved ones, their homes, their careers and their dreams. AFP spoke to a student, a paramedic and a former civil servant in Gaza, to hear how the conflict has destroyed their lives. Here are their stories: Fares al-Farra, 19, was as brilliant at school as he was ambitious.
Two months before October 7 last year, he graduated with top marks and enrolled in Gaza's University College of Applied Sciences to study artificial intelligence and data science. "I had many ambitions and goals, and I was always confident that one day I would achieve them," he said. Days after Hamas's attack sparked the Gaza war, the Israeli military bombed part of the university.
Farra and his family fled their home in the southern city of Khan Yunis as it became a battleground, forcing them to shelter for months in a makeshift camp. They returned home when Israeli troops withdrew from the area, only for it to then be bombed, demolishing the walls, breaking Farra's arm and killing his close friend Abu Hassan. "He always took care of me," Farra said of his friend, who experienced with him forced displacement.
"He was a good person." The hardship of war has chipped away at Farra's optimism and his hopes for an education. "It feels like all paths are closed," he said.
He fears his dreams will no longer be a priority once the war ends. "There will be more basic needs" to fulfil, he said. Still, he said he longs for.