THE escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict is threatening millions of lives. Thousands of kilometres away in South Africa, the violence, threats and ultimatums have united people in their solidarity with the Palestinian struggle or in defence of Israel.
However, the reality and anxiety are all too real for those whose families are caught in the crossfire.
Bayan Shabat, a Palestinian South African who relocated here in 2013 to be with her husband after obtaining her computer science degree, told the Sunday Tribune that 13 members of her family back home were killed when their home was bombed in Gaza.
“I feel guilty sleeping, knowing my