"If you could send a message to anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you say?"  Mohamad Qassas in Gaza asked the children. 

“If I could send a message to anyone in the world, it would be to my mother. I miss you and I wish I could see you one more time."  Malik Yasser  

This tragedy did not begin on October 7. Today marks one year since the start of the genocide in Gaza. Today, we mark one year since the profound impact of this genocide that has affected countless lives. Families have been torn apart, infrastructure diminished, and communities devastated. 902 Palestinian families have been erased from the civil registry in Gaza.  

Over the past year, Gazans have endured unimaginable hardships. Access to essential resources—food, clean water, and medical care—has been critically compromised. The psychological toll on the population, especially children, has been devastating, many grappling with trauma and loss. 

Live on camera, we have witnessed horrific war crimes unfold through the eyes of journalists like Bissan Odeh, Motaz Azaiza, Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, Saleh Al Jafarawi, and as young as Lama Jamous (just 9 years old). The world has seen the atrocities committed by Israel; yet, these acts have gone largely un-condemned. 

Israel has bombed schools where civilians sought shelter, targeted people simply trying to obtain food from UN trucks, and inflicted unimaginable suffering. Hind Rajab, a name that will forever be etched in history, was tragically shot 355 times by an IDF tank while hiding inside a car next to her murdered family members. 

As we reflect on this painful tragedy in Palestine, we must not remain silent. It is crucial that we amplify the voices of those affected and advocate for justice. We call on the international community to hold those responsible accountable and to support humanitarian efforts that provide aid to those affected on the ground. Together, let us work towards a future where justice and dignity prevail for all oppressed peoples. 

In 2018, 234 Palestinians in Gaza, including 46 children, were killed, and over 33,000 were injured by Israeli snipers and military whilst taking part in a peaceful protest entitled the "Great March of Return".  It symbolized a collective expression of the longing for freedom and the right to return to ancestral homes. Two-thirds of Gaza’s population are refugees as a result of the 1948 Nakba, along with their descendants, many of whom come from villages and towns surrounding Gaza. For decades, the Palestinians have used nonviolent means to draw attention to their plight. However, the Israeli military has consistently used violence to shut down any means Palestinians have employed to shed light on their suffering.  

The Israeli military has perpetrated horrific acts against the Palestinian population in Gaza that constitutes genocide. Reports indicate the use of illegal weapons like white phosphorus which burns flesh to the bone and long-term effects from the slightest exposure causing cancer. Civilians have faced unimaginable horrors, including the kidnapping and beating of individuals, burning families alive, bulldozing over bodies to the point that human flesh was mixed in asphalt, and the gang raping of Palestinian men.   

This systematic violence not only inflicts physical pain but also aims to obliterate the very essence of the Gaza strip, raising an urgent question: Israel has evaporated bodies, decapitated babies, burnt Palestinians beyond recognition, while Israeli soldiers document and happily post their war crimes on social media, as the world sits idly by- what more do we honestly need to witness that will be enough for the international community to call for an end the genocide?  

Join Eyewitness Palestine on October 30th, 2024 at 12 PM EST for a special edition webinar featuring a video with messages and interviews directly from Gaza including Palestinian children, journalists and healthcare workers. They will discuss the death, destruction, and trauma they  have witnessed just in the past year. We will also be joined live by Husam Zomlot the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Click below to sign up now! 

Join Eyewitness Palestine and Autism Superhero-Palestine to hear from the founder and the families of autistic children about the important work and trainings being done to support them in caring for their children, who especially in these dark times, are experiencing even more trauma than usual. This webinar is in support of a collaboration with Eyewitness and Autism Superhero Palestine to provide training to at least 25 families in the West Bank by the end of the year. 

If you want to learn more about Gaza, check out the following resources and individuals recommended by Eyewitness Palestine staff.

St Porphyrius Church, Gaza.

The church of Saint Porphyrius was originally built in 425 CE but was converted into a mosque in the seventh century. In the 12th century, Crusader forces restored its use as a church. This church is one of the oldest active places of worship in Gaza City, named after the fifth-century bishop of Gaza, whose tomb is in the northeastern corner of the church.

Gaza's Christian community every year attends the church for Christmas; however, during the genocide, the building also served as a sanctuary for displaced families.

Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies . 

Gaza has faced profound destruction from the Israeli aggression in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021, and the ongoing genocide in 2023.

Rebuilding Gaza will be an immense challenge, compounded by ongoing blockades and limited access to resources. Experts estimate that it could take years, if not decades, to restore the strip fully.

Some projections suggest that, under ideal circumstances, it might take between 10 to 20 years to rebuild essential infrastructure alone.

However, this timeline could extend further if the genocide continues or if funding is insufficient.

Ismail AL Dahdouh via Instagram 

"My friends, this is where my documentation of this war ends. For 96 days, we have witnessed unimaginable crimes, massacres, and genocide. We trusted that the world would react, but sadly, there has been no strong response. No civilian, journalist, paramedic, or activist has survived; not even the stones and trees.

I have risked my life repeatedly to share our story. As a colleague said, seeking safety with my family is far more important than documenting for a world that lacks empathy and humanity. This world judges people by their color and religion; it is a deeply hypocritical and racist place."

LEARN MORE ABOUT GAZA

About the Journal: 

One young woman’s voice―intense and poetic―grapples with universal ideas as it chronicles a personal journey cut short. How do we find our way in the world? How do our actions affect others? What do we owe the rest of humanity? These are the timeless questions so eloquently posed by Rachel Corrie, a young American activist killed by an Israeli sniper on March 16, 2003, as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in the Gaza Strip. 

Her gallant act was carried out in an effort to prevent the home from being demolished. Five years after her death, her family collected together and published her thoughts, email correspondence, and journal entries. While these were written more than 20 years ago, they give us insights into the woman behind the martyr and are still relevant in terms of the occupation of Palestine and the importance of having compassion and empathy for those both near and far.

You can read the journal here! 

About the Documentary:

The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza,  produced by Al Jazeera’s flagship investigative series Fault Lines, “The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza,” does just that. It focuses on three families who have experienced horror beyond comprehension, yet manage to describe what must surely be the worst moments in their lives with admirable composure.

The documentary does a deep dive into the lives of the Salem family in Gaza City, which has lost about 100 members; the Ghaf family, attacked in what Israel sadistically calls a “safe zone”; and the family of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old girl whose phone calls to the Red Crescent pleading for rescue were taped and have since gone viral. They are unfortunately representative of Gaza families: displaced several times, survivors of massacres, bracing themselves for the next strike they know is inevitable. One of the disconcerting things about the documentary is the viewer’s awareness that many of the people interviewed for the documentary are very possibly no longer alive. Israel has long stopped pretending that it targets just militants—it goes for the maximum kill.

The documentary is available to watch here. 

Please continue to support Eyewitness Palestine's efforts by donating, as we navigate through these dark times in order to educate, facilitate and collaborate!

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