Life in Gaza
Due to recent events taking place, the world has now been engulfed in the Palestine and Israel conflict. On October 7 2023 Hamas attacked Holit, Israel as an act of retaliation. Since this event the internet, news channels, government officials, and social media have blown up stating their sides and views on this issue. As more and more are released, the bias towards Israel is very noticeable especially in the Western world. This is shown in government officials' contradictory statements released to the press and lack of care and coverage on Palestinians being affected before and after the events of October 7th. What the media fails to explain is the effects of this event on Palestinians globally. Gaza is now being bombed constantly throughout the day and lacks basic resources. Death tolls in Gaza have risen to over 10,000 with 40% of them being children. Israel has full control of food, water, and electricity in Gaza and have now cut it off. What is said to be a “conflict” or “war” is not an accurate description of what is taking place between Palestine and Israel. It is genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and a humanitarian crises happening before the eyes of the public. Yet the oppressors are seen as the oppressed and the occupiers are seen as the occupied.
Since October 7th life in Gaza has become more challenging than it already was. Talking to Dana, a college student with family in both the West bank and in Gaza, stated that communication between her father and his family has become challenging on both sides. Due to Israel having control of electricity, Palestinians in Gaza have very limited contact with the outside world. At some point, Israel had initiated a blackout that lasted 36 hours. Such problems made it challenging to know whether family members were still alive. Living conditions have become unbearable due to lack of needed resources. Palestinians have to wait hours to receive water that is not even clean and safe to consume, let alone there are times where they do not get any water. They are bombed day and night and have very little time to avoid bombs if any to begin with. Starting from October 7th the UN has announced 42% of houses have been either damaged or destroyed and at this rate the numbers will only rise. The Palestinians lack proper medical equipment and the UN has estimated there to be around 50,000 pregnant women and they do not have the appointments, products, and services needed.
The events of October 7th have not only affected those in the Gaza strip, but also those in the West Bank. When interviewing Jihan, a previous Palestinian resident of Ramallah, she mentioned that since the recent unfolding of events certain areas have been gated and blocked off from all roads. Palestinians are trapped in their houses and if they attempt to leave they are killed on the spot. Anyone who attempts to protest publicly on the streets is killed by the government and zionists. What many fail to understand is that inhumane actions have been taken against Palestinians far before October 7th. Palestinian suffering began way back to 1948 when the Nakba (translates to catastrophe) occurred, which is approximately 75 years ago.
Before the uprising that occurred October 7th, Palestinians were already accustomed to abnormal living circumstances. Jihan shared the conditions she would face when living in Ramallah and that included being constantly tear gassed. She mentioned the struggle of getting to school – what should have been a 10 minute trip became an hour to simply get to school due to Israeli checkpoints. A second route she could take was a 30 minute drive and was sometimes blocked by boulders being in the middle of the road or by being tear gassed. Jihan mentioned that tear gassing would occur on Fridays, Holiday times, and sometimes would happen days on end. There were periods of time where electricity and water would get cut off. Random house invasions took place. It had never happened to Jihan, but it had happened in her grandma’s house and there was even an occurrence where her uncle was taken away. Dana also shared that her 21 year old cousin in the West Bank had been arrested two months ago for no reason and no one knows the condition he is currently in.
All these injustices and crimes have been taking place against the Palestinians for several years now. Yet there was no news coverage or inaccurate/biased information spread on news channels. Many are sick and tired of the lack of knowledge, care, and involvement in advocating for innocent people. The news is openly biased and one sided. They sympathize with Israel and ask them about their current state yet the only thing they can ask Palesrinians or people who are pro palestine is “do you condemn Hamas?” The media says Israelis are being killed and Palestinians are dying. The unfortunate reality is that this is not a surprise to minorities. This is the custom and reality of what the Western media truly is. Real life examples prove this such as when a reporter said the war in Iraq was different because the people were barbaric and uncivilized. When Iran forced hijab on women and violence broke out; the media did not say that women were being oppressed because their rights were being denied. Rather they made the hijab's existence the problem when there are many other laws besides the force of the hijab that are oppressing women in Iran. The biased wording when reporting the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh who was wearing a vest that signaled she was with the press yet an Israeli soldier still shot her.
The problem is the truth is hidden in the Western media. The reality and true events taking place in Palestine remain a mystery to many. That is why it is important to dig deeper into these political situations. Everything must be looked at, even what is hidden from the public. Ignorance is not an option and was never an option. Being blind to the reality of all the disasters occuring in the world will only repeat catastrophic events that are taught in history classes. It ties back to the saying “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Where do we Stand?
What is happening in Palestine is best described as a humanitarian crisis. There is no justification of the killing of innocents no matter their race, religion, gender, or age. Everyone has an obligation to care and be educated on the current state of our world and all the problems occurring within it. As humans it is an obligation to care and take a stance on the problems happening within Palestine. The tension between Israel and Palestine is not a matter of religion. It is not Islam vs. Judaism when anti zionist Jewish civilians are attacked, when churches are bombed, when christian hospitals are bombed, and when mosques are bombed. Dana stated that the current situation is “another Nakba” and Jihan mentioned that it is “Palestinians against the world.”
For my muslim brothers and sisters we have an even stronger obligation towards the Palestinians. Not only do we share the fact that we’re human but we also share the same faith as many of the Palestinians. This is most beautifully said in a hadith that narrates “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body. If one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it by wakefulness and fever” (Al Bukhari and Muslim). Us muslims are required to sympathize, defend, and be educated on the situation of our ummah no matter what part of the world they reside in, one of the many wonderful aspects of our deen. In Palestine lies Masjid Al Aqsa, one of the three most holiest houses of Allah (swt). The holy land of Palestine was also visited by every prophet in Islam. A land that is important and sacred to our deen is being occupied and our muslim brothers and sisters are suffering. We have to, no matter the way, help and support all who suffer in Palestine. This is well said in a hadith that narrates “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart, which is the weakest level of faith” (Sahih Muslim 49).
Sources to Keep Up with Palestine
- Social Media
- Organizations
- The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU)
- Electronic Intifada
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
- Al Jazeera
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Mondowelss
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
- Palestinian Children Relief Fund (PCRF)
- United Palestinian Appeal (UPA)
- American Charities for Palestine
- American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
- Academics
- Edward Said
- Hatem Bazien
- Ghassan Kanafani
- Norman Finkelstein
- Noura Erakat
- Noam Chomsky