Anaheed Fayyad tears up on her Gaza return

Syrian actress Anaheed Fayyad Syrian actress Anaheed Fayyad has told Arab Today she has mixed feelings on fulfilling her dream of returning to the Gaza Strip. The actress, of Palestinian origin, arrived in Gaza for the first time since her father left the southern city of Khan Younis 48 years ago.
"This is my first visit to Gaza. I am here to see my family. I am from Khan Younis, and my dream was to visit Palestine. Now, a part of my dream has come true, and God willing, I can visit visit the other Palestinian territories too," she said.
"It's hard to describe my feelings when I entered Gaza. There was joy and sadness because I had just met my family, but I also wanted to travel to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nazareth and other Palestinian cities without an Israeli visa."
Fayyad confirmed that she would leave Gaza on Tuesday for a return to Jordan, where she has lived for the past 12 months.
The actress described the situation in Syria as "painful and tragic," adding that she just wants an end to the violence.
Fayyad admitted that her work had been affected by the event in Syria. "At the moment I'm not working on anything because there is no production in Syria. I will return to Syria very soon, because everything I have is there," she explained.
Born in Syria, Fayyad graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Art in Damascus, before making her breakthrough on Syrian television drama Bab Al Hara, in which she played the character of Dalal Bint Abu Essam.
The 29-year-old performer has also acted in several other top Syrian dramas such as Horr al-Ain, Soft Thorns, Disobeyed Tears, and Me And The Four Daughters.