"Hell on Earth"
There was no need for Halloween this year, as the real and true horror is taking place in Gaza right now. More than 9,500 people have been murdered, with about half of those being children. More children have been killed in Gaza in 4 weeks than in global conflicts over the last 4 years. 35 journalists have been killed to date. 183,000 residual units have been damaged with 28,000 of those being destroyed, 221 educational units damaged, 36 hospitals attacked, 50 ambulances damaged, 11 water sanitation facilities destroyed, countless churches, hospitals, mosques, schools, including many UNRWA schools where refugees were staying----all places that are supposed to be safe havens have been bombed. These numbers change from minute to minute and will no longer be relevant tomorrow.
The only cancer hospital in Gaza was hit by Israeli jets and has also run out of fuel, so it closed. Already four cancer patients have died. Emergency rescue teams have also been targeted and bombed. Yesterday the courtyards of three hospitals were targeted and bombed killing more than we know. And also, refugees fleeing from the north to the south were targeted and killed. This morning Israel bombed a children's hospital. Power generators and solar panels for hospitals were targeted and bombed today. Gazans on the ground are recording footage of all of this.
Entire families have been annihilated, and countless kids have been forever orphaned. Statistics suggest more than 300,000 Palestinians have become homeless so far and Israel isn't finished. The Jabala refugee camp was bombed and then bombed two more times killing more than 400. People are frantically digging with their hands in the dirt to find their loved ones. Today, Gazans were given a 2-hour window between 1-3 pm to go south, but they are terrified as we are seeing, even the ones who evacuated were targeted not only in the south, but on the road while they evacuated.
I know you aren't seeing it there, but here we see the images every day. The image of the father bringing his burned child into the hospital with the bottom part of his body blown off. The kids by the hundreds suffering from the white phosphorus bombs that Israel is illegally using. Their beautiful faces are scarred forever, that is if they even make it through this war. The dead bodies of dozens of children laying in aluminum trays with their names written in Arabic on their arms. The people lying dead and injured yesterday with a dead horse in front of Shifa Hospital when Israel bombed it.
Gaza has become an open graveyard.
All of these people had hopes. They had dreams. They were humans. They were no different than you or I. Do you feel something for them?
Israel claims they are targeting Hamas targets so far, and that civilians are just a casualty of war. And there seems to be little concern for the hostages that Hamas is holding. How much more blood needs to be shed in order for Biden to call for a ceasefire?
A few days ago, Netanyahu invoked the Amalek Theory again when he said, "You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Scriptures. And we do remember." The verse in the Old Testament he is referring to is I Samuel 15:3 and is often used by the far-right to justify killing Palestinians.
"Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, put to death men, women, children, infants, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys."
All religions have been used to justify genocide, war, and killing since the beginning of time. I can't help but feel, were this a different religion inciting a holy genocide, there would be a far greater outcry from the United States. Do Palestinian lives matter? It certainly doesn't feel like it.
"There is no mercy. Humanity is gone. There is no one to mourn our death. There is no one to stop this war machine because we are not from a certain people, religion, or race. We are not among the “chosen ones.” The political powers of the world see us as an obstacle, not an ally. We were broken and are broken again every day by the images of death, especially when it comes close to us — our families, our sisters, our relatives, and loved ones to whom we spoke daily. We are all broken. We hear terrifying stories about hell on earth. Hell is a reality in Gaza today. Our Palestinian siblings are in it now." Reverend Munther Isaac
Today across the US---and the world---there will be large amounts of protests from people of all backgrounds including Jews. Call and email your representatives and demand a ceasefire. Demand that no more of our tax dollars continue funding this.
