Guide ends years-long hiatus to show you the sights…

…of Gaza

And, no — it’s not me.

And, you can’t go there on your own, because the Israeli authorities (aided, alas, by Egypt) completely forbid the entry of tourists, one of the lesser-known facets of their perverse siege of the Gaza Strip that has ground on now for a dozen years (see HERE and HERE).

Nevertheless, a team from NPR recently went in as journalists and engaged long-lapsed tour guide Ayman Hassouna to show them some of the places — historic sites, colorful markets, mosques and churches, even a smattering of upscale hotels and restaurants — where he used to take visitors.

Vintage 1960s postcard by the Israeli company Palphot (Photo: Daniel Estrin)

 

Now the NPR crew, headed by correspondent Daniel Estrin, take us along for the ride on their one-day immersion into a Gaza most of us will likely never get to see in person. Numerous interesting photographs, and both the text and audio versions of their report, await you HERE:

Here’s What Tourists Might See If They Were Allowed To Visit Gaza

 

Gaza has a second face: the face of culture, the face of tourism … We want to be Gaza open, for the people, for the world. Only that.

— Ayman Hassouna