Monday, November 13, 2023

Gaza War 2023 : This is what the real humans of Gaza say /are saying/said "Vol.1"

The people of Gaza have something to say to the world and you must hear them.

They are not those fake people of Gaza with fake terrible accents shown on Israel’s official accounts.

a boy from Gaza
A child looking at the dead body of his father
 before his burial in Khan Younes, Gaza 
by Belal Khaled 
First, the children of Gaza read this statement in a press conference in front of the famous Al-Shifa Hospital on 7 November.

“We want to live, we want peace, we want food, medicine and education; not bombs,” They said.

It seems that very few heard them because Israel intensified its attack against one of the few remaining hospitals standing.

The doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital persistently stand, dedicated to aiding patients and assisting thousands of families in search of a secure refuge amidst the horrors of war.

Like Dr Hammam Alloh, a nephrologist who decided not to go with the rest of his bigger family to the South because he had an obligation towards his patients. Here is his last interview 

That's Dr Hammam Al-Louh with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. This marks his final interview, as you've read because Dr Hammam was tragically killed, along with his father, in an Israeli shelling of their home situated next to Al-Shifa Hospital.

Before his death, Al-Louh wrote the following to The Jewish Currents on 26 October.  I will quote the following from his message. 

Yesterday, I had to stop the resuscitation of a patient who went into cardiac arrest in the dialysis unit, because if she made it back to life, we had no ventilator to offer her. We have to prioritize patients who are younger, healthier. We have lost the ability to provide true care.

This is not the medicine I thought I would be practising. I always wanted to progress in my field—to learn more, to teach more. In Gaza, I haven’t been able to do that. I hope to raise my kids to be ambitious—not to think about war, missiles, rockets.

Every day, I see a fear in their eyes that I can’t do much about. It’s very painful. If you have kids, you know how horrible it is not to be able to comfort them, to ensure they are alright, to make them hope for anything beyond living one more day. We want to live freely like other people—to grow scientifically and economically, to walk in the street without fearing bombardments, to make plans. We want to be able to learn, think, grow, travel, dream—to feel like we are really human. Not to think only about meeting our basic needs. 

This is what life has always been about for us, and now—I want the world to know—we are being eradicated en masse. This is not what life should look like.

Dr. Haifa Al Sarraj, his mother and a fellow doctor, is currently confined with other relatives, including children, near their residence. They face the challenge of being unable to move, as any attempt is met with intense Israeli gunfire. 

A surviving relative is presently trapped under debris. Despite reaching out to the Red Cross, evacuation remains impossible. A ceasefire by the Israeli army in the Abu Hasira neighbourhood is urgently needed to facilitate their safe evacuation.

Experiencing the loss of numerous family members has been a shared and tragic reality for many Palestinians in Gaza during this war. Some, like the Abu Sada family or the family of Dr. Izz El-Din Abu Elaish, had previously suffered the loss of loved ones in past conflicts with Israel.

Dr. Izz El-Din Abu Elaish, a Palestinian-Canadian physician, lost 25 family members in the current war in an Israeli airstrike. Before this, he had tragically lost his daughters in 2009 as they were killed by Israeli forces too. Despite these profound losses, he remains steadfast in his refusal to succumb to hatred.

Israeli Forces did not spare even private hospitals in Gaza. Two days ago, the Israeli forces shelled the famous “Mahdi Obstetrics Hospital” and the house of its founders, the Mahdis.

The Mahdis of Gaza

The Mahdis were famous senior consultant OBGYNs who didn’t leave for the South due to the oath they took as doctors to continue to serve their patients. Aside from the Mahdi extended family, the hospital turned into a refuge for nearly 40 people.

Most people in the hospital and the Mahdis house were killed in the Israeli shelling, mostly from Mahdi above them Dr Basel and Dr Raed.

Now Dr Basel’s last Facebook post has been shared and become viral as many Palestinians mourn the man whose hospital witnessed the birth of their kids.

"No one will die only lacking years, but some will die lacking dignity, humanity, and principles. Your Arabness has faded, and God neither blesses nor forgives you!"

FYI, the Mahdis seem to have US passports and yet they decided to stay because it was their duty as doctors. 

Many Palestinians in Gaza appear to have lost hope that the world can rescue them. For over a month, they have endured killings and forced displacement at the hands of the Israeli army, with little international intervention to halt Israel's actions.

What Dr Mahdi said on his Facebook was echoed in a Tweet by an Arabic-English instructor in Gaza earlier this month. 

The last thing Mrs Doaa tweeted was her comment on how many massacres the Palestinians in Gaza endured till 3 November. 

Five hours before that tweet, Doaa tweeted about celebrating her daughter Maria's 5th birthday despite the ongoing war. 

Sadly, both Doaa and Maria lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike.

Alaa Samaan also had her birthday during the war. It was on 26 October and it was the worst day she had ever lived according to her on Twitter. 

"My birthday today is one of the worst days of my life," said Alaa Samaan, a student in the Faculty of Medical Laboratory at Al-Aqsa University.

Alaa's Facebook avatar 
Alaa, along with several members of her family, the Samaans, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on November 4th in Gaza's Maghazi Refugee camp.

Baby victim in Gaza 2023
That baby was killed in the Israeli airstrike on Maghazi Refugee camp on 4th November 

I couldn't find a publicly available photo of Alaa Samaan, but I came across a picture of an adorable Palestinian boy who requested his sister to post it in case he "martyred."

Late Mohamed of Gaza wanted this 
cute selfie photo to be posted if he was
martyred 

Here, I am posting it as per his wish, despite not knowing much about him except that his name is Mohammed, and he was from Gaza.

Leena Shamiya shared a message written by her 11-year-old sister Dana in Arabic on 7 November.

Here is the translation of what Dana had written.

Everything is more hurtful than ever. My family and I have been displaced twice. Everything is terrifying and scary. I miss my father and my brother dearly. I wish this painful wound would heal.

My birthday has come and gone without me blowing out the candles. I didn't get to see the presents or open them, nor did I get to taste a single bite of my birthday cake.

Please support us, o’ people. We are now living on two dates for three days, and my heart is aching. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

God, help us. Forgive us for our sins and grant us victory over those who disbelieve.

The end.

Meet Shayma who lost a sister “Doaa” and a niece “Sham”.

Shayma lost her house on 4 November after it was bombed.

“I miss normal life so much, but there is no home to return to. Doaa is gone. Sham is gone. No idea if my dad and brother would be allowed to enter Gaza” She said on 8 November praying that “May God bring what is good."

Mahmoud Jamal Al-Nakhalah of Gaza
Mahmoud Jamal Al-Nakhalah of Gaza

This is what the late Mahmoud Jamal Al-Nakhalah wrote on his Facebook account to his friends before being killed along with 20 members of Al-Nakhalahs in another massacre named in Gaza now as the Al-Nakhalahs massacres. “Yes, it seems that in Gaza now as I can tell from social media they call the Israeli airstrikes the X-Family massacre based on the number of victims from a certain family”

Tomorrow marks my twentieth year... and the fourth war... with the fifth awaiting its completion amidst the thunder of bombardment and the rubble of buildings, the smell of gunpowder and blood, the sight of corpses and body parts, friends fading away, comrades departing, and loved ones bidding farewell.

No comment. 

Feda'a Merjan is known as the mother of Habiba and Omar. 8-year-old Habiba, whose name means in Arabic "Beloved" was a third-grade pupil. She was killed in an Israeli airstrike on 14 October while the rest of her family survived. 

Habiba of Gaza
Late Habiba of Gaza

Her mom, Feda'a wrote this obituary in Arabic and English. 

They stitched up my wounds without using anaesthesia ، nobody knew that the unbearable pain was the pain of my heart and not the pain of my wounds.

Over the years, I taught Habiba about human rights, we read together the International Convention of children's rights, and she knew that she has the full right of access to education, right to health, right to play but I missed to tell her about the right to life. why? Because simply it is guaranteed, and nobody has the right to deprive a little innocent child of her right to life.

Can you imagine what is happening in this little spot of the world “Gaza”, children are deprived from their right to life without any reason except being “Palestinian “

Protect the children, stop the massacres and save Gaza.

Wael Dahdouh, a veteran correspondent at Al-Jazeera and the head of its Gaza bureau, tragically lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in an Israeli airstrike. Despite this devastating personal loss, he continues to fulfil his professional duties, bringing the events in Gaza to millions of viewers worldwide. His resilience and commitment to his work speak volumes, and he also has a message to share.
Wael Dahdouh has become another Palestinian icon with his resilience and commitment to his work, to Gaza and to Palestine. 

It was not surprising to come across video clips depicting him witnessing the lifeless bodies of his children on that sorrowful night, shared by many Palestinians in Gaza on social media. It was a moment that resonated with them all.

Among these Palestinians is Dr Israa Ashqar, a resident in anaesthesia at North Gaza's Indonesian Hospital, who had already been in the media spotlight. Earlier, she appeared in a video with her colleagues attempting to resuscitate a child suffering from severe third-degree burns.

Late Dr Israa Ashqar
Late Dr Israa Ashqar 

On October 22, Israa's brother, Mohamed, tweeted about seeing a picture on TV of his sister, Israa (an anaesthesia and intensive care doctor), resuscitating the child. As proud as he was of her at that moment, he also felt sorry for her due to the horrifying scene she witnessed; the child was almost charred.

"If God grants us a long life and we continue living, how will we overcome these scenes? How will the families of the martyrs, the wounded, and those who lost their homes overcome this? Blessed are those whom God has destined for martyrdom. May God grant us patience and strength," Israa quoted her brother and tweeted.

The last photo of Israa Al-Ashraq alive while attempting to save
another severely burned child along with her colleagues at the Indonesian Hospital

Dr Israa Ashqar returned to her residence, where she was staying with her family, after completing her shift at North Gaza. Tragically, on October 28, an Israeli airstrike targeted their house, resulting in the loss of 19 lives.
Following the devastating airstrike, Dr. Israa Ashqar, who had just returned home, was among the casualties brought to the Indonesian Hospital lifeless in a truck. 


Only three of her siblings survived the carnage, including two brothers who are also doctors. Currently, her injured sister is receiving treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital, where her brother works.

If you've been following Al Jazeera International's outstanding coverage of the Gaza war, you're likely familiar with their correspondent, Yomna El-Qunsol. Meet her daughter, Joury, also known as Juju, who shares her perspective on the war.

Six years old Maya wants the war to stop. 

Maya's dark circles under her eyes at the tender age of six speak volumes. She has witnessed the Israeli army declaring war on Gaza four times, although she was too young to remember the earlier conflicts. Similar to Udi, who is only four years old, younger than Maya, and still holds onto hope, thanks to his parents.

According to his uncle, he has witnessed four wars, his father's house being bombed twice, and the destruction of his kindergarten and his own bicycle by the occupation. He hasn't had clean water to drink for more than 20 days.

Despite all this, he bravely says to this dirty and cowardly world:

"Let them burn all the palm trees in our courtyard. We will grow new palm trees above the old ones."

The collective spirit, as mentioned, was embraced by numerous Palestinians in Gaza who chose to remain steadfast despite the immense cost, rejecting both direct and indirect Israeli calls to forcibly relocate them from North Gaza to South Gaza and eventually to Egypt.

Palestinian journalist Haytham Harara of QNN as well as the Gaza government's media office succinctly captured this sentiment, stating, 
"We will not get out, and we will not leave. You will only see resilience and faith. If we have to leave, it will only be back to our occupied land or to the heavens." 
These were his final words on Facebook before he and his father lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike in front of Al-Shifa Hospital on November 3.
Harara's last post. 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 34 Palestinian journalists have been killed so far. 
Late Haytham Harara
Late Haytham Harara 

It's worth noting that there are also Palestinians who are simply weary of the ongoing conflict, having suffered significant losses, such as a toy shop owner who had already lost his shop due to Israeli shelling of the market.
I hope that he is alive. 

I hope the world listens for once to what the Palestinians say/are saying and said. 
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