(In this piece I do not use quotation marks, as I may not have recalled the words exactly as said).

I’ve just listened to an interview with a journalist based in Gaza – a man from the region. He was so calm, and his voice so pleasant, despite having endured what I’ve heard described as the heaviest night of Israeli bombardment.

Towards the end of the interview there was the sound in the background of an aircraft approaching, and then a distant thudding sound.

Do you need to take cover? The interviewer’s question jittered down the line.

Oh. Okay, came the quiet response. Then, just as I presumed the interview was over, the voice from Gaza returned, strong and even. No. It’s okay. It’s about 100m away.

But … aren’t you frightened?

I paused, my coffee cup suspended and waited for the response, as my mind struggled to process what I was hearing. I could not understand properly that I was listening to words from a place of unspeakable violence – words offered up as evidence by a man prepared to sacrifice himself to help others see what could not be said.

You are so calm, the interviewer added respectfully.

Oh, once it’s not you, you feel safe you know, said the quiet voice.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023