Zahra Sayagh, Lebanon "I felt like I was moving from hell to paradise"

Zahra Sayagh, 44, was confined to her house with her five boys in the southern village of Qana for nearly three weeks while Israel bombarded the area. The family left for Syria during a 48-hour partial suspension of air strikes, which followed an Israeli attack on Qana that left 55 civilians dead, including 27 children.

“We lived in a tiny room for 20 days after the bombing started. We only had bread and water. We had no other food in the house or in the shops near to my house.

“Prices tripled in the village as food was hard to come by. Many people could not afford to take a taxi out of the village and so they were killed when the attack [July 30] happened.

“My children were very afraid of the sounds of explosions and jetfighters, which were flying at low level over the village. In the night, the children couldn't sleep because of these horrible sounds.

“When we went outside we saw leaflets on the ground dropped by Israelis warning us to leave. We packed a few small bags and came to Syria in a taxi. Others could not afford it and so stayed behind.

“It took us two days to get here. The journey to the border was very frightening and confusing, the children were crying a lot.

“When I crossed the border into Syria I felt like I was moving from hell to paradise. People have been so generous here. The Lebanese taxi driver took US$350 from me from Aley (the Chouf Mountains) to the Syrian border. But the Syrian driver drove us for free and gave me his mobile number and said to call him if we need help.”

SZ/LS/ED