(MENAFN- Jordan Times) I have lived alongside Palestinians at different stages in my life. I have met them in their diaspora and I have lived amidst them in their occupied homelands: Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
I have seen how they must live their lives, surrounded by restrictions and measures, including checkpoints, movement restrictions, loss of land and house demolitions.
I am a humanitarian professional and have spent the last 10 years of my life in some of the most volatile places on earth. I am the current head of mission for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jerusalem and the West Bank, previously head of office in Gaza.
The 15 months I spent in Gaza gave me the opportunity to get to know the land and the people, walk through its fields and crops, share meals with farmers on their lands; lands that they were not permitted to access for over 10 years; lands that were bulldozed and destroyed by military offensives.
I accompanied mothers and fathers on their long journeys to visit their children in Israeli detention.
I spoke to young mothers whose children's vocabulary included words unimaginable to those of a child in the West.
I spent hours on end talking to authorities to facilitate the issuance of permits for gravely sick patients that needed to leave the confines of Gaza in order to stand a chance for survival.
I shook hands with hundreds of people, hope and despair intertwined in their eyes.
I am still haunted by the look I saw on a traumatised child's face following the heavy rain floods of Gaza in 2013, which rendered a frail and battered existence, shadowed by intermittent conflicts and a closure, all the more miserable.
I recall the summer of 2014 in Gaza as one of the most challenging times of my life.
The prevailing chaos of the conflict, the screams of the injured and the sounds of explosions are still with me.
During 51 days of intense hostilities, my team and I worked around the clock. We evacuated as many civilians as we could; escorted paramedics, repaired damaged water networks and restored destroyed electricity lines.
In July 2015, while in Jerusalem, a new wave of violence broke out. Ramming, stabbings and bouts of violence meant that everyone was at risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. People were afraid to move around.
The ICRC did not stop its operations. We continued to travel between Jerusalem and our offices in the West Bank.
I had heard about the West Bank barrier, but seeing it was another story.
Imagine a wall, eight metres high, cutting through the route you take to work every day, or the fields you walk through to see your mother.
This is the West Bank barrier. It cuts through entire Palestinian communities, altering their demographic and economic landscape under the umbrella of security.
The West Bank barrier and the fast-expanding settlements it is meant to shield are affecting the lives and dignity of millions of people
Every individual, amidst theses millions of Palestinians, has a story of his own. Each individual has a past, present and hopes for a brighter future.
Throughout my years here in the occupied Palestinian territories, I have been in awe of the resilience of Palestinians and their love for life. It is no wonder that the phoenix is the symbol of Gaza's largest municipality.
According to its mayor, Gaza is the phoenix that keeps rising up from the ashes.
Palestinians have taught me to keep hope alive, even amidst the darkest times.
Looking back at the past 50 years and taking stock of where Palestinians stand today, I can see that the five decades of occupation are not breaking down their hope and resilience.
The start of Ramadan has brought with it a new wave of hope and serenity.
The recent suspension of the collective hunger strike and the conclusion of an agreement also give room for hope. And although cautious in doing so, I remain hopeful.
Fifty years on, hoping for a better tomorrow is not sufficient. Our hopes must be translated into concrete action.
Only a real and sustainable political solution can bring about a long-lasting change in Palestinians' lives.
I will leave office in two months a different person, wondering when politicians will have the will to find a long-lasting solution.
Until that happens, the ICRC remains committed to do all that is within its reach, and in line with its mandate, to alleviate some of the suffering brought forward as a result of 50 years of occupation.
It is no coincidence that our presence in the Palestinian territory dates back to 1967. Our story is the Palestinians' story.
The writer ICRC head of mission in Jerusalem and the West Bank. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.
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