'It was nearly sunset when I saw death up close': a Gaza diary | Atef Abu Saif

We dash to salvage gas cylinders, shout messages from building to building, make lukewarm coffee. And always, a missile could be only seconds away

Atef Abu Saif is the Palestinian Authority's minister of culture

Atef Abu Saif has been Palestinian Authority's minister of culture since 2019 and is the author of six novels. He was visiting Gaza with his son, Yasser, when Israel started bombarding the strip in response to Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel. He has been keeping a diary, which he has been sending via WhatsApp to his publisher, Comma Press, in Britain. This is an edited excerpt.

Sunday 29 October