On October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, resulting in 240 being captured, over 1,200 dead, and 6,900 injured. Israel retaliated, sending jet fighters to Gaza, ending in the bombing of the Al-Sousi Mosque in Gaza City. The bombing is still ongoing, with a total of over 6,000 bombs, 18,000 tonnes, dropped on the people of Palestine. Most Palestinians are fleeing to southern Gaza in hopes of escaping these deadly conditions. Israel has spent over $2 billion on bombing devices.
It has been reported that all hospitals in Northern Gaza have been destroyed, the most recent being the Dar al-Shifa Hospital, which is the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ashraf al-Qudra, Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson, explains that the hospital occupancy has reached 190%. Most hospitals are currently unavailable in Gaza, while the remaining ones open up about the horrendous conditions. It is said that about 55,000 displaced people are occupying all of the space, many of whom have just had surgery and have nowhere to go. Anesthetics are completely wiped out, requiring most patients to be awake during their painful procedures. 400 patients are reported to be on dialysis, all of whom could die if taken off. Infections and diseases ravage the hospitals with multiple threatening conditions including diarrhea and lice. Many even have maggots crawling in their open wounds.
As of Nov. 29, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has reached over 15,000, about 6,150 of them being children. 36,000 lie injured while 6,800 are still missing underneath the rubble of their homes. It is more than likely that the number is greater since both the internet and healthcare have been cut off from Gaza. People all around the globe are begging for a ceasefire as the toll rises each day.
Hamas is reported to have 147 Israelis still in their custody, while Israel currently holds 4,990 Palestinians. Initially, there were 240 captives held by Hamas and 5,200 held by Israel, but in a recent deal between the two, 12 Israelis were released in exchange for 30 Palestinians on November 28th, 2023. 81 hostages are reported to have been freed from Palestine while a total of 180 have been released from Israel. More deals have continued to make way, but we are unable to retrieve updates at this time.
In support of Palestine, many have decided to boycott large companies that support Israel’s actions, including McDonald’s for donating thousands of free meals to Israeli troops and Starbucks for suing its union for showing solidarity with Palestine. The companies currently being boycotted are McDonald’s, Starbucks, Puma, HP, Domino’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and many more for supporting the actions of Israel. Pressure targets have also surfaced, meaning pressuring certain larger companies until they do something that can contribute to Palestine. These companies include Google, Expedia, Amazon, Airbnb, Booking.com, and Disney, possibly with more to follow.
Despite the overwhelming demand for a ceasefire, the United States government has other plans. President Joe Biden has continued his annual donation of $3.6 billion to Israel. He has deliberately been disregarding calls for a ceasefire, saying that “like so many others, I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life, including the explosion at a hospital in Gaza — which was not done by the Israelis”. John Kirby, a national reporter, has explained that Biden “believes right down to his core that the approach he’s been taking is getting results.”
This is absolutely not the first encounter between Palestine and Israel. In the 1930’s, United Nations explains that Palestine was a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society before increasing Jewish immigration after the holocaust. It had been driven by tensions between Arabs and Jews paired with the Zionist movement to create an exclusively Jewish state in Palestine. The UN General Administration passed a petition dividing Palestine, splitting it into two different states, one Arab and the other Jewish. The plan was rejected by the Arabs, explaining that it had violated the UN charter and would be incredibly unfair to Palestinians. As a result, Jewish militias unleashed attacks upon Palestinian villages. In December of 1948, the situation had grown into a war, causing thousands of Palestinians to be permanently displaced as a result. A total of over 15,000 Palestinians were murdered during this time. Ever since then, Palestine has not truly been free.
Since the majority of resources have been cut off from Gaza, people are figuring out creative ways to help. Multiple filters have been created in support of Gaza, generating revenue to go towards humanitarian aid. The filters can even generate revenue if posted privately. Filters for Congo have also begun to surface, as well as a song called ‘abusin’ me’ by YANAtheartist. The song and filters also generate revenue for Congo.
(August Yancey) I am not afraid to show my support for Palestine. Their people are suffering and half of the world either hasn’t even noticed or they simply don’t care. Babies are walking around the streets and on top of rubble, unable to comprehend that they don’t have anybody anymore because their parents were murdered. Parents have to watch their children get carried away in body bags. They are being deliberately lied to about where they will be safe. This isn’t a war, it’s an ethnic cleansing and a genocide. I understand protecting your nation, but Palestinians are not terrorists, they are human beings. I stand with Palestine. If you care at all, these are some free petitions to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
