Photo Credit: Hosny Salah, Palestinian photographer currently living in Palestine Gaza Strip (@hosnysalahl)
Published: 13 December 2023
The unfathomable horrors experienced by civilians in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7th defy verbal expression. The U.N. has even referred to the region of Gaza as a “graveyard for children“. However, it is imperative to recognize that the Palestinian struggle extends beyond recent events.
Dispossession, forced displacement, administrative detentions and the pursuit of basic human rights are stark realities for the Palestinians residing under Israeli occupation. Human suffering has plagued this region for far too long and the international community must not turn a blind eye to the human tragedy unfolding in the Middle East.
An Overview of Recent Events
On October 7th, Hamas’ surprise attack on army outposts and surrounding villages in southern Israel led to the capture of over 200 hostages and the death of approximately 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals, most of who were civilians.
Since then, over 24,000 Palestinians (including over 9000 children and over 22,000 civilians) have been killed by Israeli forces according to a recent report by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. In addition to the staggering loss of life, the report emphasizes the widespread displacement affecting over 1.8 million Palestinians.
The report also notes a distressing toll on journalism, with over 80 journalists losing their lives in the course of these events.
On December 8th, the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
On December 12th, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopts a “resolution demanding immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, as well as immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The Ongoing Genocide
“The cataclysm that you and I are witnessing in Gaza is a genocide in the awful making,” writes Al Jazeera columnist Andrew Mitrovica. “It is not an “onslaught”. It is not an “invasion”. It is not even a “war”. It is a genocide.”
“Genocide requires intent and action,” Palestinian-American lawyer Lara Elborno tells Anadolu. “Not only have there been over 100 statements of genocidal intent expressed at the highest levels of Israeli military and government since Oct. 7, but they are also clearly committing three of the five genocidal acts under the international treaties.”
“This is a text-book case of genocide,” writes Craig Mokhiber, a top UN official in New York, in his resignation letter dated October 28.
“I also worked in these halls through the genocides against the Tutsis, Bosnian Muslims, the Yazidi, and the Rohingya,” he explains. “In each case, when the dust settled on the horrors that had been perpetrated against defenseless civilian populations, it became painfully clear that we had failed in our duty to meet the imperatives of prevention of mass atrocities, of protection of the vulnerable, and of accountability for perpetrators. And so it has been with successive waves of murder and persecution against the Palestinians throughout the entire life of the UN.”
The Food Realities of the Gazans
I believe it is pertinent to show what little information we have about the current living conditions of Palestinians during this humanitarian tragedy. According to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care (…)”. Despite this, genocide and hunger continue to ravage our world. And, Palestinians are among those who remain stripped of their human rights.
The following is a timeline detailing the current (and ongoing) food realities faced by Palestinians in Gaza.
All these posts have been collected on social media (Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok), with most accounts belonging to Palestinian journalists and people living in Gaza. (All posts are clickable to reach the original source)
Keep in mind-The conflict is not about religion and does not oppose Muslims and Jews. This is a false narrative that harms religious harmony and public peace in our societies. Jews and Muslims all over the world have joined to march against the killing of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces.
December 12, 2023 (Day 67)
December 11, 2023 (Day 66)
“Lentils on firewood, we love life as long as we can.”
“The 66th day of the war, We made donuts on firewood✌🏻”
December 10, 2023 (Day 65)
December 9, 2023 (Day 64)
“We make donuts on fire, expensive donuts”
December 8, 2023 (Day 63)
December 7, 2023 (Day 62)
December 6, 2023 (Day 61)
“How do I explain to this cat that I too cannot find anything to eat and like her, I also sleep on the streets? Day 61 of the war.”
December 5, 2023 (Day 60)
December 3, 2023 (Day 58)
December 2, 2023 (Day 57)
November 29, 2023 (Day 54)
November 28, 2023 (Day 53)
November 27, 2023 (Day 52)
November 23, 2023 (Day 48)
November 21, 2o23 (Day 46)
November 20, 2023 (Day 45)
November 18, 2023 (Day 43)
November 16, 2023 (Day 41)
November 15, 2023 (Day 40)
November 14, 2023 (Day 39)
November 13, 2023 (Day 38)
November 11, 2023 (Day 36)
November 10, 2023 (Day 35)
November 9, 2023 (Day 34)
November 7, 2023 (Day 32)
November 6, 2023 (Day 31)
“This is the method we are using to cook & to be able to make our traditional food “Zataar Manakeesh” (Zataar flatbread) Our suffering has taught us to do and learn new things, we are learning to live with the least of life’s necessities”
October 31, 2023 (Day 25)
October 29, 2023 (Day 23)
October 27, 2023 (Day 21)
October 26, 2023 (Day 20)
October 24, 2023 (Day 18)
October 22, 2023 (Day 16)
October 19, 2023 (Day 13)
October 17, 2023 (Day 11)
October 13, 2023 (Day 7)
