This post was intended to be published on the first day of the year, but with the numerous events unfolding in Gaza, Sudan, and Egypt, it became challenging to maintain the schedule.
The Palestinian children have been paying the price of this war more than once.
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| Displaced Palestinian children at a displaced refugees camp in Gaza's Deir El-Balah by Majdi Fathi on Saturday |
According to the latest reports, the death toll in Gaza stands at 22,430 people, which includes 9,730 children and 6,830 women.
This count does not include at least 7,000 missing individuals.
Additionally, more than 57,600 people have been reported injured.
According to UNICEF, over 9,000 children have suffered injuries in the Gaza Strip.
It also added that in just one week starting December 17, the number of diarrhea cases in children under five years of age surged from 48,000 to 71,000.
This equates to an alarming 3,200 new cases per day. The
rapid escalation in such a short period strongly suggests a swift deterioration
of child health in the Gaza Strip.
Local estimates indicate that nearly 1,000 Palestinian children underwent limb amputations without anaesthesia or painkillers.
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| Two Palestinians, including a boy with amputated legs, are at Shahuda Al-Aqsa Hospital, as documented in November by award-winning photographer Majdi Fathi |
Every ten minutes a child is killed and more than 10 children lose one or both of their legs in Gaza.
I had to share with you those facts at first.
So what do the children in Gaza wish for in the new year/Christmas? Spoiler: It's not much but it seems hard to achieve now.
Here is a Happy New Year message from Gaza by Lama Jamous, the youngest war correspondent in Palestine.
"Hello everyone, how are you? Wishing a happy new year to the entire world and the people of Gaza in 2024. May the war in Gaza come to an end, Insha’Allah. What do we say to the world? Happy New Year!" Nine-year-old Lama tells the world.
More about sweet Lama who interviews other children in Khan Younes.
To Abod Batah, the strongest war correspondent in North Gaza currently he is telling the world “Happy New Year” despite that the Palestinian people are not that happy.
“Happy New Year to you, but we, the Palestinians in Gaza, are neither happy nor okay. How can people who ended 2023 with a war and started 2024 with another one be okay? While the world was celebrating, we were dying. Some of us lost our fathers, others lost their mothers, and those who didn’t lose a father lost a brother. Some of us lost our homes, either to fires or demolitions,” he said.
“Secondly, we have been suffering for more than 85 days. We struggle in our daily lives, to find food and water. There is no internet, no food, nothing. Our lives are not on the internet,” Abod added reflecting the struggle of the Palestinians in finding food, especially in Gaza.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffins said on Friday that “famine is around the corner in Gaza” adding that people there are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded. Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the Palestinians.
Back to Young Abod Batah who said “We can’t take it anymore, we are tired. They displaced the people, they killed the people, and they barred everything from the people. We know nothing about our people abroad, we know nothing about the people displaced in the South as they cut communications. What peace or what life are you talking about? Are you talking about celebrations?”
“What peace are you talking about? What life are you talking about? What celebrations are you talking about? The whole world is happy, but we are not happy, nor are we living. Every day, we die, and every day is harder than the day before. Yesterday’s difficulty is easier than today, and tomorrow will be even harder, and the day after tomorrow, even harder. Every day we die, and every day we suffer, and no one cares about us. So, farewell and be well. That’s it, I’ve said what I wanted to say.”
If you sense Abod Batah as pessimistic, despite his reputation for streetwise optimism online, it’s important to know that he was detained by the Israeli occupation army on December 19th for approximately 6 or 7 hours.
This occurred alongside other men and boys living near Kamal Adwan Hospital during its siege. His house is currently covered with black plastic, and there’s a deceased body wrapped in a duvet in front of it.
Here’s to another Aboud, this time in South Gaza, or Abdullah Al-Majaida, who also has a New Year message for the world. Despite his circumstances, he shares his message, even though he is not as content as Aboud in the North.
“On New Year’s Eve, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, but things are not going well for us. I had truly hoped the war would end before the new year, but it’s only getting worse. We’re growing weary,” he said. “When I see a flux of cars heading to Rafah, my heart aches. There’s a sense of relief when they head back North, but it’s also saddening because they are relocating to Rafah,” he added.
Aboud is well-known for frequently using the phrase ‘I swear, guys.’ He lives with his older brother Ashraf, the original owner of the Instagram account, and their mother in Rafah.
Rafah is currently providing shelter to over 1.2 million Palestinians who have been displaced, essentially accommodating most of the population that has been involuntarily uprooted by Israeli forces.
Aboud’s family is displaced and living in a tent. On Friday, they shared a video showcasing their clay oven and their current dwelling.
Many Palestinians are going back to their ancestors’ ways, using the clay oven to cook in the cold winter as no fuel is allowed The background noise in the video is the buzzing sound of ‘Zanana,’ or Israeli drones.
On Saturday, Aboud flew a kite in the skies of Rafah. It was my favourite moment to escape this war. However, it was cut loose, and the little boy reminded us that he was still just a child, crying over what happened to his kite.
Lama, along with Aboud of the North and Aboud of the South, were just ordinary children before the war. They were unfamiliar with concepts like vlogging or gaining followers, unlike Mera.
Mera was a popular child vlogger on YouTube before the war, boasting 1.6 million subscribers on her channel. However, now, Mera’s primary concern is the well-being of her mother. Mera wants her mom to live.
Mera’s mother has shrapnel lodged in her head and urgently requires treatment outside of Gaza. If you can assist, please refer to the details provided in the caption.
If you can assist, all the details are provided in the caption.This young boy is from the few survivors of a horrifying Israeli airstrike that killed 22 members of his family, the Alastal family including his mother and all his siblings. He only wanted someone to sleep with besides him like his grandma.
@shannonrobert2 #duet with @tsab17_7 #child ♬ original sound - user86727447546
He wanted journalist Doaa Tuamia to sleep with him. At least he is speaking.
Baby Lauren lost both parents and she does not speak yet.
The loss of loved ones is a horrific experience for anyone,
let alone a child caught in the throes of war. It’s a terrifying feeling that
Rovan Nasr wouldn’t wish upon anyone.
بكل براءة بتتمنى للعالم ما يعيشو الشعور اللي عاشته!
— هدى نعيم Huda Naim (@HuDa_NaIm92) January 6, 2024
رغم كل الظلم اللي عاشته لسة قلبها مش هاين عليه حد يعيش القهر اللي عاشته! pic.twitter.com/wtTBgFFcUf
Regrettably, there are those on the other side of the fence
who fail to recognize her and other children as the innocent humans they
are."
This little boy wishes to escape the horrors of war and violence. The footage is captured by reporter Soliman El-Farra.
Little Sham wants to reunite with her mom whom she has not seen for over 90 days as the mother is stuck abroad.
Sham, a little Palestinian girl from al-Maghazi camp, shares her experience of displacement, expressing fear and longing for her mother who had traveled before the war
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 6, 2024
: hani.aburezeq pic.twitter.com/TfG4Ea9DWY
Sham is frightened, having endured a harrowing experience when the Israeli Occupation Forces directed her father and others in the Maghazy refugee camp to evacuate and move south.
Sham is not the only child longing for a reunion with his mother.
Hamza, who has become fragile and weakened due to malnutrition, longs to be reunited with his parents. His greatest wish is for the Red Cross to facilitate this reunion with his mother and father.
Currently stranded alone in the North of Gaza, Hamza's mother, a Tunisian-Italian woman, was transferred to the south for treatment after having her leg amputated.
Subsequently, she was sent to Tunisia for further medical care. While his father accompanied her, he was not permitted to travel with her, leaving him stranded in Rafah and unable to return to his son Hamza in the north. Hamza is approximately 11 years old.
Please send tweets and emails to urge the Red Cross to unite Hamza with his parents.
Once again, Sham and Hazem are not alone. This little girl, whose name we do not know, longs for her mother who went to the West Bank for medical treatment before the war and has been unable to return.
@aljazeera_mubasher طفلة من غزة توجه رسالة مؤثرة لوالدتها التي ذهبت للعلاج بالضفة الغربية ولم تستطع العودة جرّاء العدوان الإسرائيلي على القطاع #الجزيرة_مباشر #فلسطين #غزة #الضفة_الغربية ♬ الصوت الأصلي - الجزيرة مباشر
Currently staying with her father and aunt, she asks on TV, ‘Where are you, Ma? I love you.
In the new year, Zahwa, a ten-year-old girl, longs for her
father’s return and for the war to end. Her father was detained by the Israeli
occupation forces right in front of her, a terrifying experience.
‘They told us to go
through a safe corridor, but it’s not safe. I call it the scary corridor,’
Zahwa lamented. She echoed the sentiment of many adult women in Egypt who have
lost their fathers: ‘My back is broken.’
In Egypt, a father is seen as a strong pillar to lean on. When he is gone, it feels as if your back is broken.
Do you remember Nadine Abdel Latif, the 10-year-old girl who lost her home in the Israeli-Gaza conflict in May 2021? Now 13 years old, Nadine has not only lost another home, becoming a displaced child once again, but she also lost a brother in an Israeli airstrike.
13-year-old Nadeen Abdulatif’s brother was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 7, 2024
Now she can’t stop worrying about losing her other siblings: pic.twitter.com/0Jk1kolHif
In total, she has lost 23 family members. Currently, Nadine
is deeply concerned for the safety of her remaining siblings.
This is Tawfiq. Despite being eight years old, his face appears older, yet his body is fragile and weakened due to malnutrition.
Tawfiq dreams of falafel and returning home.
According to a UNICEF survey conducted on December 26, approximately 90% of children under the age of two are consuming two or fewer food groups.
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| Palestinian children getting food at the refugee camps in Gaza by Madji Fathi |
Now this little queen got a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he should listen.
First time I’ve seen the second part of this, and it’s just as powerful as the first.
— Tiberius (@ecomarxi) January 6, 2024
This little girl has more courage and humanity than the entire western establishment combined.
pic.twitter.com/1KWSucfMzZ
That little girl survived an Israeli shelling in Deir El-Balah from a couple of weeks ago.
We do not know her name but the short interview went viral.
This little girl is also angry. She is displaced at some UNRWA school. She wants a ceasefire so she can return to her house.
"بدنا نروح ع بيوتنا المكان الى تعودنا عليه"
— صاحب السعادة (@16_gouda) January 2, 2024
ماقالته طفلة نازحة من منزلها قسراً جراء عدوان الاحتلال المستمر على غزة pic.twitter.com/3sfTVvZUo3
She wants the people to eat because “we have become skinny and bony”, she wants to return home to see her aunties and all her loved ones.
As is evident, all of them yearn for the war to end. They long to cease worrying, return to their homes, consume nourishing meals, and play safely without the burden of concern for their families at such a tender age.
Supervisors at a UNRWA school, now serving as a shelter in Rafah, organized a drawing activity for children. They requested the children to illustrate their dreams.
عملنّا نشاط رسم لمجموعة أطفال في إحدى مدارس الإيواء في رفح
— فيروز🇵🇸 (@ififihnan) January 5, 2024
وكل ما رسموه، ما يحلمون به البلاد،الأرض والبيت pic.twitter.com/xu3MJqvdY5
Most of them depicted a desire for a home in Palestine.
I do not need to explain why they drew that. This post explains it all.
Daddy please give back the hostages and then they'll stop shooting at us. Please daddy. Please .
ReplyDeleteHahahahaaaa! Beautiful dark humor.
DeleteBut the children are thoroughly brainwashed, unfortunately. They are probably saying "Daddy, please let's kill all the Jews so that they stop shooting at us."
ووووه المكان ده لسة حد بيكتب فيه 😭😂 انا مبسوط انه لسة شغال ❤️😂
ReplyDeleteGive back
ReplyDeleteThe
Hostages!!