Israel and Palestine are making headlines again for the worst.
To put it simply, Israel is committing a mass genocide of the Palestinian people for retaliation against a 75-year-old brutal occupation. Palestinians have to pay the price of fighting for freedom with their lives.
Since Saturday Oct. 7, 2023, over 4,200 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have risen to martyrdom. At this point, an unidentified number of over 10,000 Gazans are reported to be injured. The number of injuries and deaths are continuously rising, and hospitals do not have the capacity to care for them.
Something to keep in mind about Gaza, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world; it is 25 miles long and 5 miles wide, containing 2.2 million people. At least half of the population in Gaza are children under the age of 18.
Gaza is often referred to as an open-air prison by the UN. However, it is more synonymous with a concentration camp. Electricity, fuel, water, and food have been cut off in Gaza, as well as the internet.
Gaza is being ethnically cleansed in the dark.
Amongst the other war crimes committed by Israel, white phosphorus bombs, which are internationally banned, have been dropped on Gazan civilians. The use of white phosphorus is considered a war crime for its devastating effects on the human body.
Most of the European Union, Canada, and the United States are encouraging and funding the genocide of the Palestinian people. The United States alone gives Israel $3.8 billion every year in military aid to commit ethnic cleansing.
Let that sink in.
Within a single week, over 6,000 missiles have been dropped on Gaza, more than the US has dropped on Afghanistan in one year. Residential buildings have been leveled and complete neighborhoods have been wiped out.
Now, some people might be wondering, “Why can’t the Palestinians just leave Gaza?” The answer is simple: Israel will not allow them.
Israel controls every single aspect of human life in Gaza; they’re not allowed the right to their own airspace for an airport, they are not allowed more than one mile to swim or fish in the sea, and they are not allowed to leave by land checkpoints.
In short, Gaza has been under military blockade since 2006 by land, air, and sea.
In the past, some Gazans have been able to escape, but only with permission from the Israeli government, which is very hard to come by. The only two exits available to Gazans have been destroyed by Israel: the Rafah Crossing with Egypt and the Erez checkpoint by Israel.
Israel bombed the Rafah Crossing to prevent the Egyptians from sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. On top of all that, on Oct. 13, Israel told 1.1 million Palestinians in North Gaza they must evacuate to the South, so they can destroy the North.
In an article by the UN, human rights reporter, Paula Gaviria Betancur, stated, “We are horrified at the prospect of an additional 1 million Palestinians joining the over 423,000 people already forcibly driven from their homes by the violence over the past week,” she said.
“It is inconceivable that more than half of Gaza’s population could traverse an active war zone, without devastating humanitarian consequences, particularly while deprived of essential supplies and basic services.”
As thousands of Gazans were evacuating the Northern part of the Gaza Strip, on a route Israel had declared “safe”, they were bombed. At least 70 Palestinians were killed trying to evacuate, by order of Israel.
At this point, there is not a single safe place in Gaza. The Palestinians in Gaza are just sitting ducks waiting for their inevitable murders by the Israeli military. A Palestinian has stated on Instagram, “In the words of my family in Gaza, ‘today we will either be free or be killed, and either is better than being caged.’” (@gazangirl on Instagram)
Every single person should care about what is happening in Gaza because everyone is complicit. American tax dollars are funding genocide. Everyone needs to take a stand, and tell those in power that what’s happening is not just.
Each one of us has the responsibility to educate ourselves and others about what’s happening. Western media is spreading propaganda to dehumanize Palestinains and perpetuate the idea that they are not worthy of sympathy. If you want raw and authentic sources to see what’s happening on the ground, follow Gazan journalists.
Some journalists on Instagram whose pages include writing in English are: @byplestia, @motaz_azaiza, and @wizard_bisan1.
Anti-zionism is not synonymous with anti-semitism. Judaism is a peaceful and respected religion. Zionism is racism and white supremacy, which has no place in this world.
Stand with justice. Be on the right side of history. Stand with Palestine.
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