I woke up Sunday morning, Dec. 3, 2023, to frantic texts from B, a college student I mentor in Gaza through We Are Not Numbers, an organization that helps young adult writers publish stories in English. I’m calling him “B” because Palestinians in Gaza fear retaliation from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) if they publicly speak about their conditions. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] B texted me internationally, which he never does because it’s too expensive.