Gaza Motorcycle Diaries

My name is Mohannad, I was born in 1982. Two years ago, I was exciting to buy a motorcycle, it is fast and beautiful and gives the sense of adventure. Month a go my dream came true, the price was 800 USD, and I felt lucky because years before it cost more than 1500 USD.

Motorcycles have not been famous in the Gaza Strip since 2008, but after siege they have become a kind of necessities. They have been brought through tunnels from Egypt, and have become cheaper since they have been interred Gaza by enormous amounts.

I would appreciate mine, because it is extraordinary and consume a little amount of fuel, it brings distances more closer in a short time. The wind that blows in my face gives me good feelings just to go faster and faster. I know it is so crowded here in Gaza streets, but who cares, I am so careful during the drive and so many other guys on the road.

Personally, ten friends of mine have motorcycles, and in every Friday noon we go to an empty sandy area to practice some acrobatic moves. When we reach there, we find dozens of other adventurers. This have become the favorite way of having fun among youth as I believed.

My mother is so worry about me, she has been following the news about motorcycle accidents in Gaza streets, and somehow she imagines that one day I would come home in a coffin. You know how old mothers behave, they always have something to worry about, and when they haven't, they begin to worry about why they are not worry yet !

Earlier this morning, I was driving in a cross road in the heart of Gaza city, a fresh young man was driving a motorcycle so fast, and as my mother's nightmare, the disaster came in a form of an awful accident. The young man was immediately killed , and two of the passing through were badly injured in the crash. I would believe that was due to rashness not to bad luck, but that has changed something inside me.

I've recently heard in the news an dreadful statistics from the official authorities. Motorcycles are the second cause of death. In 2009 more than 200 individuals were killed, thousands were injured. From 30 to 40 injured individual inter hospitals everyday, more than 30% of them fall prays to death. Since 2010 about 130 individuals have been killed and 460 have been injured, everyday three accidents occur in Gaza. I've also heard that more than 70,000 motorcycles are existed in Gaza, and I believe they are more than this number.

I am getting more terrified, Gaza has become the planet of motorcycles horror. My friends share me the same thoughts. We have decided to get red of our motorcycles and we believe we will find a hundred buyers. People in the street live in fear when they hear the sound of a motorcycle. We heard a joke in the previous war on December 2009 about motorcycle rider who is wanted to Israeli force, instead of shooting him, they said " let him go, he will soon be killed by his bike before we even target him..!"

I would prefer to keep on my story, but my doctor is standing in front of me right now. I am writing from El-shefa hospital, my two legs was ripped out in the accident when I went to sell my motorcycle yesterday. I can live with that and write, but I can't stand my mother tears.