The Palestinian struggle dates back 73 years. Although the murdering and displacement of Palestinian civilians have been happening for nearly a century, recent events and the use of social media have sparked more spotlight than ever on the struggles of Palestinians. Residents of Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem (on Palestinian land), are being forcefully displaced from their homes where generations of lineage have lived their lives. These families can do nothing but watch as Israeli Forces evict them from their homes onto the streets as Israeli settlers immediately move into their homes while mocking the now homeless families. With social media highlighting the injustices of the forced confiscation of land, more international attention has been on the illegal actions of Israeli courts, although this has been occurring since 1972.



Tensions due to Palestinians simply demanding basic human rights have lead to protests worldwide, only to be answered by brute force by Israel, immense destruction of Gaza, and the death of an incomprehensible number of Palestinian children, women, and civilians.



254 civilians (66 children) were killed at the hands of Israeli Defense Forces in the 11-day assault on Gaza. As brutal as this seems, this death toll was roughly only 10% of the lives lost in 2014 when Israel carried out similar attacks. This is nothing new. Israel claims this was in defense of Hamas, but Hamas was formed in 1987, and Israel has been illegally settling/murdering on Palestinian land since 1948. Gaza is the biggest open-air prison in the world. With Israel indiscriminately killing Palestinians and bombing schools, hospitals, and residential buildings, Israel is displaying the very definition of genocide: the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.



Nearly 40% of Gazans live in poverty. Nearly 50% of Gazans are unemployed. 95% of children suffer from psychological trauma due to the unimaginable amount of attacks and death they experience. 54% of Gazans are food insecure. 90% of water is undrinkable. Entire lineages of Palestinians have ended in the last 11 days, from infants to elders. This is not just a Palestinian issue. This is a humanitarian issue. 2000 buildings were destroyed in the last Israeli assault, and an additional 15,000 damaged including residential, police, and media buildings. With a large portion of Gazans unable to leave or rebuild, and their previous lives and homes destroyed, there is nowhere for the Gazans to go for food, shelter, or the basics for human survival.



It is our duty to continue to raise awareness on the atrocities that Palestinians face daily. We must all do our part to help Palestinians out in this dire time of need. Although we cannot bring back the loved ones lost, or rebuild homes that were destroyed this is what we can do.



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