SHAH ALAM: Passion and hope in the face of brutality, and above all, that "life must go on".
These were among the lessons brought back by a group secondary school students after an event which exposed them to what Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, have been going through for the past year, and even before that.
The Palestinian Diaries, a special event organised primarily for students of SMK Putrajaya Presint 9 (2), saw Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali take to the stage first.
He delivered a strong message of resistance to Israeli occupation.
"We will continue to fight, forever, until we achieve an independent Palestinian state. If I die before then, my sons and their sons will continue on until then," he said at Auditorium Karangkraf.
Later, Palestinian couple Dr Mohammed Al Aqad and Lama Alaggad, who have resided in Malaysia for 14 years, narrated their experience of being trapped in Gaza in the aftermath of Oct 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel and the Israelis retaliated.
They eventually made it back to Malaysia, but not before experiencing a harrowing time.
"I swear by Allah, you won't be able to live one minute, let alone one year in Gaza. No water, no food, no transportation, no hospitals. Nothing.
"You feel like living in the Stone Age," said Al Aqad.
The event, organised by Sinar Daily, also included a screening of "Ahmad Alive", a powerful documentary by award-winning journalist Yusuf Omar.
After Israeli airstrikes targeted his home in the aftermath of Oct 7, the titular travel vlogger Ahmad Ghunaim turned his lenses from scenic locales to the developing war.
"Hi, this is Ahmad. I'm alive," he would say to the camera in several shorts documenting life in the midst of genocide, which the documentary aimed to compile.
His handheld videos jump from Palestinians scavenging for food and water to scenes of injury and death in Gaza's streets, interspersed with constant bombings, as he made his way to Rafah and out of Gaza.
When asked about the experience, students said they felt deeply about the sobering tragedy of the occupation.
"The film, even though it was short, made me sad. I feel grateful living in Malaysia. We must be grateful for having what others might not " said Luth Zidane Abu Bakar, 14.
Another 14-year-old, Aqeef Izzudin Izuraimirizal, also spoke of being grateful.
"The film deeply moved me and taught me to be grateful. However, (the session with Al Aqad and Alaggad) was more detailed. (I learned) that, no matter how hard it is, life must go on."