We Advocate for Palestine & their children: A Brief Overview
To say the least, the war on Gaza has sparked tremendous outrage, and from it emerged cries for help and heated discourse, with various sides attempting to justify the involved parties’ actions.
Knowing what’s going on, what makes the acts by Zionists on the suffering Palestinian children so “debatable?” Do the ends justify the means when it comes to specifically targeting civilians and children of an already devastated nation?
We don’t need historical context to define the events in Gaza as atrocious and inhumane. The blocking of aid, the mass displacement of residents, and the indiscriminate murder of civilians—even children—are completely and utterly unacceptable.
Our beliefs on race, religion, or even political legitimacy do not change the fact that our children have been caught in a crossfire that only serves the interests of people in power. Our silence emboldens those people in power to continue their destructive actions, perpetuating the cycle of suffering for innocent children.
In just six months since October 7, when Israel launched its deadly war on Gaza, over 2% of Gaza’s child population has either been killed or injured. According to OCHA and the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 13,800 children have been killed in Gaza and 113 in the West Bank, over 12,009 children have been injured in Gaza and at least 725 children in the West Bank. In addition, UNICEF reported a count of at least 1,000 children have had one or both legs amputated, and about 30 out of 36 hospitals have been bombed, leaving only 10 partially functioning
On the other hand, the detainment of children has also been a growing problem with as much as roughly 13,000 children have been arbitrarily detained, interrogated, tried in military courts since 2000 with more than 450 children taken into custody at one point or another since the October 7 attack.
How has the war affected children?
A two-week siege and attack on Gaza's biggest medical facility, Al-Shifa Hospital, has left most of the complex in ruins, severing one of precious few remaining lifelines for children in need of medical treatment.
Education in Gaza is also in jeopardy as from the 625,000 registered students in Gaza, no child has had formal education since October as relentless bombardment and hostilities have left nearly 90% of all school buildings damaged or destroyed. In addition about 261 teachers have been killed and 1.4 million people are now using schools as shelters.
The destruction of schools will have a lasting impact on a generation whose learning will remain in jeopardy even after hostilities cease. Save the Children has warned that the emotional distress caused by bombs, loss and starvation is leaving children increasingly unable to cope and children are likely to suffer lasting psychosocial impact.
The life-saving supplies upon which families across Gaza rely have either been drip-fed or systematically denied by Israel, with recent data finding that half of the population is facing catastrophic food insecurity, and children and families in northern Gaza are at imminent risk of famine.
We are one with Palestine and their children. We are at an alarming stage of witnessing a full on genocide and it is important to remember that being silent is being complicit. Free Palestine and their children.
References
ACAPS. (2024, February 1). Palestine: Impact of the conflict on children in the Gaza Strip [PDF file]. https://www.acaps.org/fileadmin/Data_Product/Main_media/20240201_ACAPS_thematic_report_Palestine_-_impact_of_conflict_on_children_in_the_Gaza_strip.pdf
McGreal, C. (2024, April 2). ‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/gaza-palestinian-children-killed-idf-israel-war
Mohamed, E., & Siddiqui, U. (2024, March 12). Israel’s war on Gaza updates: ‘This war is a war on children’ – UN. Al Jazeera. https://aje.io/la84y5
TRT World. (2024, April 5). Palestinian Children’s Day puts spotlight on Israel’s war on kids. https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/palestinian-childrens-day-puts-spotlight-on-israels-war-on-kids-17657201
United Nations Human Rights Office. (n.d.). Statements on the grave situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. https://www.ohchr.org/en/media-centre/statements-grave-situation-occupied-palestinian-territory-and-israel