El-Haddad was not only covering Gaza's situation as a journalist and correspondent, she was also living it, including by trying to explain the ongoing events to her own young children. She recounts the angst of a person stranded outside her homeland when it came under intense Israeli assault at the turn of the year 2008-2009, though she was also able to publish and amplify the experiences of her parents as they cowered in central Gaza City under Israel's harsh, 22-day bombardment.