"Those Who Died in Gaza Have Survived"

 

Day 64: December 9:

“Those Who Died in Gaza Have Survived”

The humanitarian crisis emanating in Gaza, a small, besieged area under the full control of the Israeli army for decades, from the modern and precise weaponry yet that was used indiscriminately in Gaza, has never happened before in human history. On top of this, there was never a time in history when anyone interested in knowing the truth could watch the events live.  The tragedy reveals that humanity probably did not change much, even though we like to think it has. Many people and governments are knowingly watching but stand complicit. Some go as far as to justify Israel’s operation, cover up the apocalyptic conditions, confuse the public, and attempt to silence, censor, and smear the Palestinian narrative.

Effects of what’s happening: The double standardness of the Western and so-called civilized world is being exposed in this peak tragedy. Therefore, I believe we are watching the tumbling of many international institutions like the United Nations, created by the West and used to wage multiple wars around the world in defense of these laws. But, now they stand helpless, watching. Losing the moral compass repeatedly in the Middle East and, in this fashion, eats away at the foundations of any civilization.

What I find even more puzzling is that, from a security perspective, this aggression against Gaza can prove to be equally catastrophic for Israel as well, the country the West is trying so hard to protect. This is another dilemma added to the moral argument. Even if Israel drives everyone out of Gaza, this will not guarantee anything for Israel. Israel had already ethnically cleansed eighty percent of Palestinians in 1948 and displaced more than a hundred thousand in 1967. Like any forcefully displaced people, what happened then is that resistance groups have sprung out in neighboring countries. Is history repeating itself? Is that a solution? However, If Gazans stay steadfast and never leave, the day the fighting ends, Israel will stand perplexed. What can be done with a civilian population and with this number of orphaned children that its army has profoundly traumatized and radicalized like never before?  

Ethnic or, more accurately, religious Cleansing? It has become evident for many observers, historians, and international law experts that the real target of this war is to drive the Palestinians out of Gaza or at least out of North Gaza. The kind and amount of weapons and the brutal war tactics that are used by the Israeli army, which include preventing food, water, and fuel from entering the whole of the Gaza Strip, is, as I mentioned before, unprecedented in human history. The current humanitarian crisis created by Israel is a political target. Another indication of this political agenda is the way the Israeli army is handling the cities and refugee camps it enters. Israel is explicitly executing every form of life in Gaza. After emptying the North of the majority of its population, the Israeli army blew up cultural centers like Al-Shawa Cultural Center, the Justice Palace, and complete neighborhoods; even the third oldest church in the world was destroyed, and, of course, the hospitals stopped functioning. They can no longer receive or treat people after the Israeli army has detained the staff and destroyed parts of these significant hospitals.

Yesterday, for example, there were images of the Israeli army rounding up men who decided to stay behind with their families, stripped out of their clothes in the cold, and driven in trucks to an unknown place. People have identified some of them and know their names and professions. They were displaced civilians in schools who decided not to flee to the South. I believe that even when the fighting ends, this war against the civilian population in Gaza will continue in many forms and shapes. For example, the bombardment can continue but less frequently. Or, more likely, the Israeli government can continue to prevent a sufficient amount of food, fuel, and water from entering Gaza.

Why is this Happening? Israel saw in the October attacks a historic opportunity to seize the land from a population by force and create an economic corridor that passes through the North of Gaza to supply Europe with Gas and goods. This plan is clearly a colonial project that took place in the past and is still ongoing. It is, in essence, about the affluence of certain civilizations at the expense of others.  This plan could become a double win for Israel, where it illegally seizes land and solidifies its position as a strategic ally to the United States. At the same time, it continues to remove an unwanted population because they happen to be of the wrong religion. This, of course, depends on whether the North can be, according to Israel’s military terms, ‘secured,’ meaning Hamas fighters are crushed. This is why there is talk about flooding the underground tunnels of Hamas fighters with seawater, which, if this happens, will pollute the artisan wells in Gaza even more. The whole infrastructure of Gaza City would be endangered as well. However, whether this ultimate double plan will succeed remains uncertain and depends, believe it or not, on the day-to-day events on the ground.

Daily life in Gaza: In this part of the article, I would like to shed more light on the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza, a heavy burden on the human collective conscience for an economic corridor and a few gas pipes. I translated the words of Ahmed Ouda, Chief Bureau of Al-Ghad TV Channel from Cairo, coming out of Gaza a few days ago:

“Gaza is totally crushed. No camera or words can describe what is happening in Gaza. This is unprecedented in human history to target a human population with this amount of shells and bombs. Horrific scenes are in every street. When children, women, and the elderly pass the streets and small alleys, they can smell the odor of death and blood and see amputated limbs and fallen heads. There is no equipment left to dig for the dead bodies under rubble since the beginning of the war. So, the smell of dead bodies is rampant everywhere. The cameras cannot capture the smell of blood. Death is everywhere.”

“The air raids continue all night. The so-called ‘safe areas that the people were asked to go to, 45 percent of the dead are from those areas.  Wailing, crying, and howling is heard everywhere in Gaza. I can speak about my daily experience as a civilian in Gaza. The people in Gaza can’t sleep more than half an hour continuously because of the relentless bombardment. These bombardments are not normal ones. We have never heard such kinds of explosions before in any of the previous wars. The size of explosions, damage, and fire these explosions cause is huge. You can hear the sound of explosions in Gaza even when you are in a different city, kilometers away in Dier Al-Balah. All homes in the Gaza Strip are partially damaged.  All homes in Gaza are without doors or windows. We have just entered the winter season; it is cold, and therefore, the living conditions of families are disastrous.”

“Families begin their day at 4 am. The daily chores that are allocated to family members have changed. One family member begins the day by trying to secure a little bit of bread or flour, which includes standing in a long line from 4 am until 4 pm, and there is a chance that they will not return. There are no bakeries.

There is one kind of bread called ‘Saj’ backed on mud ovens inside neighborhoods on streets as an initiative by individual people. These ovens are fueled by garbage or plastic remains. There is no wood left to fuel these ovens. People have used up the wood found in cemeteries as fuel to cook bread. Wood is rare in Gaza, so people resort to plastic bags. Those who go to bring back a few loaves of Saj bread are very lucky to return home. These few loaves of Saj bread are divided among 70 family members. There is no home in Gaza, especially Southern Gaza, that doesn’t have at least 70 members because of the large numbers of displaced people who have lost their homes. Sometimes, they divide themselves, upstairs for women and downstairs for children and men.  Other family members go out to try and find drinkable water.  Two weeks ago, finding drinkable water was a miraculous task. Most people in Gaza drink water that is unsuitable for human use, but there is no other option. Because of the recent truce, families could find a small amount of bottled mineral water, but it was divided among family members. Other family members head towards the main market in Gaza. This marketplace was once full of all kinds of fruit. Now, there is barely any fruit found. In other marketplaces, like Deir Al-Balah, you can find some fruit and vegetables because farms surround it.”

“The most complicated issue is that of children and babies. There is no formula milk for babies anywhere, not in shops, hospitals, or pharmacies. Some babies need a certain type of formula milk. Sometimes, one woman breastfeeds more than one child. There are no diapers. The human tragedy is beyond description. The fear, horror, and anxiety that the children of Gaza are living around the clock. The children of Gaza need mental health care for years to be able to be normal again if ever they can be mentally healthy again. They don’t know whether they will survive or, if they survive, can they really escape these horrors.  Women in Gaza no longer have their privacy. There are no menstrual pads left for them to use. These harsh conditions have humiliated them. Pregnant women is another issue. I know a few pregnant women who have lost their fetuses. There is a saying in Gaza: those who died have escaped because they no longer see the daily horrors.”

“The elderly people are another issue. Those who have high blood pressure or diabetes have no medication at all.  A few days ago, I needed simple painkillers. We went to several pharmacies, and we couldn’t find any. Hospital conditions are also not sufficiently captured by cameras because the images will be too heavy to handle for the viewer. Surgery rooms usually can hold one patient. In Gaza, the surgery room has four or five patients doing the same surgery, and the medical staff moves from one patient to another. There isn’t a large enough number of doctors who can handle the flooding cases of injured people. Injuries from shrapnel are no longer considered cases to be treated in hospitals. These are considered minor injuries. These shrapnels are removed without anesthetics. There isn’t enough fridge space for dead bodies.  Dead bodies are sometimes left inside the tents of displaced people. People cannot bury their dead loved ones. It is not safe. I met a woman, for example, who had all her family members die. She had to bury all her family members and couldn’t find a car to carry them because fuel for vehicles is rarely found in Gaza. She secured a cart driven by a donkey to take them to the hospital. In the hospital, some people helped her and put her family members on top of each other, and in the cemetery, there were no spaces left.”

“Not all injuries reach the hospital. One reason is that there are no phone connections. A second reason is that there are no ambulances. There is no fuel for ambulances or anyone. Most of the cars in Gaza are not used. Some cars in Gaza use cooking oil as fuel. All of this, of course, pollutes the air. According to the World Health Organization, many respiratory diseases are spreading. These weapons and the smoke they cause pollute the air and soil. There are also skin diseases and abdominal diseases from drinking polluted water. There is no water for bathing in Gaza. There is barely water to drink, so there is no water for personal hygiene. This is also another tragedy.”

“The Places designated for displaced people are crowded. Hundreds of thousands take refuge in schools. There is no water, food, clean spaces, or privacy. Each classroom is divided, using the desks, between four or six families. Some families are lucky to find a space to build a camping tent on the pavement.  This tent is usually enough for one or two people, but you see many people inside it. People have left the north in their summer clothes. It was sunny when the war began. Now it is winter, and it is very cold. It rains a lot in Gaza. Some don’t have winter clothes or covers.”   

“Finally, as a journalist, I would like to talk about the journalists in Gaza. My dear colleagues work under the plastic bags gathered to form a roof or a tent next to the hospital reception area. Most of them can’t find a place to sleep. They suffer from back pains but continue to work around the clock. And where do you think they get electricity from? They stand next to the fridge for dead bodies that are powered by electricity. They can’t find a place to bathe, clean their faces in the morning, or wash their clothes. These heroes in the field throughout the war have seen more stories than can be shared in images or voiced in words.”

The facts and such accounts of people from Gaza are heartbreaking. They reveal the real target of this operation, which is not just Hamas but is about something more. How does formula milk harm Israel? Why do diapers, medical basic equipment, and clean water threaten Israel’s security? Why destroy historic churches and mosques after the people have left?

I hope such questions and more that you can formulate leave you with more curiosity to search for the truth.