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Asmaa al-Ghoul is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Palestine Pulse and a journalist from the Rafah refugee camp based in Gaza.
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![A Palestinian Christian lights candles as she attend a service in Saint Porfirios church in Gaza City December 22, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTX16R7G](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/12/RTX16R7G.jpg/RTX16R7G.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=L1FSCkh1)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![Palestinians ride a boat at a neighborhood flooded with rainwater in the northern Gaza Strip December 17, 2013. Four days of torrential rains in Gaza Strip killed two people and forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 residents from flooded homes, some accessible only by boat, officials said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) - RTX16MGK](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/12/RTX16MGK.jpg/RTX16MGK.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=9Q9zQL_E)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![A Palestinian boy and his militant father take part in a military parade marking the first anniversary of the eight-day conflict with Israel, in Gaza City November 14, 2013. The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas looked to project an image of strength in Gaza on Thursday, organising one of its largest ever military parades to mark the first anniversary of an eight-day conflict with Israel. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX15DMK](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/12/RTX15DMK.jpg/RTX15DMK.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=rGzdWnFE)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![Palestinian patients undergo kidney dialysis at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City September 12, 2013. Cairo closed the Rafah crossing completely on Wednesday after assailants crashed two explosive-laden cars into a security building adjacent to the border zone, killing six Egyptian soldiers. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, said 1,000 patients a month required medical care in Egypt and in other countries. Rafah's closure, he said, would also affect the import of medication and](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/12/RTX13ISL.jpg/RTX13ISL.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=XeSbzOl3)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![Palestinian workers make clay pots inside a pot factory in Gaza October 19, 2008. The making of clay pots is an ancient and traditional profession in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA) - RTX9PE0](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/RTX9PE0.jpg/RTX9PE0.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=MBK31bCb)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![UNDATED FILE PHOTO - Hamas political leaders Khaled Meshal (R), Mousa Abu Marzouk (C) and Mohammad Nazal. Jordan will announce November 20 a decision to expel three jailed leaders of the militiant Palestinian group Hamas, after efforts to secure their release failed.
AJ - RTRSKTV](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/RTRSKTV.jpg/RTRSKTV.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=P9Yr7yGK)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
![Palestinian women take part in a protest to show solidarity with Al-Aqsa mosque, in Gaza City September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTX13XDJ](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/11/RTX13XDJ.jpg/RTX13XDJ.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=lkVehW05)
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
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Asmaa al-Ghoul
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Asmaa al-Ghoul