- The author is a political analyst. ISTANBUL There are wars that silence voices, and there are wars that silence even the attempts to speak. Gaza endures both. Once, a letter could cross borders as proof of life – a fragile thread linking those inside to the wider world. A daughter could write to her father, a mother to her son, a young man to his beloved, a student to a friend abroad. The envelope was carrying more than just words, it was carrying recognition, presence, the quiet assurance