Cape Town - In 2011 mother, grandmother and crime activist, Jasmine Harris stared death in the face and saw the reality of how children were being killed as a war raged.
This is now the driving force for Harris, 64, who is rallying for peace in the region, as war between Palestine and Israel rages on, Palestine and Gaza and has joined marches and vigils.
For more than a decade, Harris has never forgotten the little frightened faces of the children she met in Hebron, a Palestinian city.
The haunted images and having to duck and dive from bullets herself is the reality women and children in the region.
On Saturday, October 7, a surprise attack was launched by the militant wing of Hamas on Israel from Gaza.
In response, Israel launched a series of rockets leading to a full-blown war.
This week, The Islamic Relief staff in Gaza said the death toll is rising and time was running out to get aid to the thousands and that it was nowhere safe to hide.
Heavy bombing continued this week, killing dozens more people and reportedly trapping hundreds under rubble.
Children are again among the dead, with more than one thousand children reported killed so far.
According to Reuters, some 447 children and 248 women are among the 1,417 killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, and 6,268 wounded.
More than 1300 people in Israel has been killed since the attack by Hamas and amongst the casualties were South Africans and Americans.
An Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza, whose name is withheld for his safety, said:
“Last night was terrible. There were attacks everywhere and nobody could sleep. People are still trapped and buried alive under the rubble,” he said.
“Food and water are running out and we fear people will starve unless aid is allowed in soon. This is a humanitarian catastrophe that is getting worse every minute.
“There is nowhere safe for civilians in Gaza. People went south because of Israel’s order but there is no shelter, no food, no water and the bombs are still falling.
“The bombing must stop or more civilians, including many children, will continue to die while the world watches. We feel like the international community has abandoned us.”
Hospitals and health facilities have come under constant attack with at least 24 hospitals and health facilities and 22 ambulances have been hit and damaged by the bombing, and many medical staff are among at least 30 humanitarian workers who have been killed so far.
For Harris, the images take her back to her experience more than a decade ago when the hotel where she and other South African tourists were staying, was surrounded by soldiers who were on rooftops with machine guns and opened fire on those inside the building.
Harris was one of the forerunners in the march last week in Cape Town which was led by the Al-Quds Foundation (SA).
She said her pleas for peace were humanitarian, not religious.
Harris was on her Holy pilgrimage to Mecca in 2011 and visited Palestine as part of her journey.
“I joined the march due to my first hand experience in Palestine,” she said in tears.
“I went on hajj in 2011, when we went to Palestine after that and we visited the tomb of Moses, and when we got back to the hotel, at supper, all at once we heard shots being fired and it sounded like a machine gun. It went on forever.
“Everyone began to hide in places, like in a cupboard or underneath a bed, my room-mate hid in the bath in the hotel room.
“I was the group leader for the ladies and there was one for the men.
“We constantly had to count if there were 40 people in the group and make sure everyone is present and have your passport.”
She said when they looked outside they saw soldiers standing across rooftops and were shooting.
“Some of the people believed they were out to attack us.”
“When we entered Hebron, we saw these buildings which were just empty shells,” she explained
“There were these little children who were standing with sticks and they were chanting and did not understand them,
“When we got off the bus, they asked if we were from South Africa and when we got back, as we entered the bus and were about to take our seats, the children followed us inside and were begging for food.
“The tour guide warned us not to help or give them anything because the soldiers were standing outside pointing the guns at these children’s head’s.
“The tour guide said the soldier’s would shoot the children in the head if we gave them anything and that was very traumatic for me.
“Why must they do this to our people, we are all human, we come from one God, we all come from dust and we will go in dust.
“Do they not realise the power of God, do they not fear God?
“That is why I feel strongly, if there is a march or protest, I am there.
“For over 30 years, I have been fighting crime and for the rights of children.”
Last week, Clayson Moneyla of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) told the media they could confirm the deaths of two South Africans but had to determine whether one had dual citizenship.