Schools, refugee camps, and villages are all places where one should feel safe and secure. For many fortunate people, that is the case. However, in Palestine, children and families in schools, refugee camps, and villages, are in constant worry of airstrikes, bombings, and military raids on their homes.
The year 1948 marks the formation of the state of Israel, as well as the Nakba or catastrophe in Arabic. The Nakba was the violent ethnic cleansing, displacement, and dispossession of Palestinians’ land and belongings during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. A total of 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were negatively impacted. Ever since 1948, Palestinians have been fighting Israeli occupation. One source of self-defense was the formation of Hamas in 1987 which was meant to resist Israeli brutality.
A year ago, on October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked innocent Israelis, bringing this conflict to the media’s radar. To fully understand the magnitude of Israeli aggression, one must consider the decades of occupation Palestinians have been suffering, prior to October 7, 2023.
As the rest of the world is distracted by the unfortunate displacement of innocent Lebanese families, Israel intensifies its attacks on Palestine, targeting Gaza and the occupied West Bank. On October 1st, Israeli aggression targeted innocent children and families seeking shelter which was followed by the arrest of men in the occupied West Bank.
The death of 13 people was confirmed in an Israeli attack on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza. The death count includes women and children and was followed by the injuries of dozens of other Palestinians during this attack. Furthermore, The Palestinian Civil Defense stated that 7 more people had lost their lives in the former Shujayea School which was sheltering displaced Palestinian families.
Despite Israel’s claims to defeat Hamas, Israel also pays no regard to innocent civilians, causing the death of over 40,000 Palestinians.
Many world leaders have expressed their support for the Palestinian cause and their concerns about Israel’s brutality against innocent civilians. For instance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exclaimed “I am asking you bluntly here: Are those in Gaza and the occupied West Bank not human beings? Do children in Palestine have no rights?”
Furthermore, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expresses, “Its leaders label this genocide; the killing of children, war crimes, and state terrorism as legitimate self-defense. They label the freedom-loving and brave people around the world who protest against their genocide as anti-Semitic. They label an oppressed people, who have stood up against seven decades of occupation and humiliation, as terrorists.”
As more attacks occur on Palestinians every day, the more urgent the need for a resolution that respects and supports the lives and dignity of all people involved is necessary. Innocent Palestinians and Israelis deserve safety and security. However, the safety and security of Israelis should never be at the cost of Palestinians and their land.
