At 31, My First Glimpse of Life Outside Gaza

. I was born and grew up in Gaza. My father was a soccer coach for many years and his stories about his travels to other countries always made me want to travel too. But Israel imposed a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza in 2007, including a generalized ban on travel, and has kept Gaza mostly closed ever since. So I never made it out until now, at age 31, and now only for a little while. I work for a global human rights organization and spent months seeking the permit from the Israeli army that would allow me to travel abroad to participate in security and research training sessions, attend key…

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