How You Can Help The People Of Gaza Now
What is happening to the people of Gaza is unconscionable, unfathomable, and unjustifiable. For more than two weeks innocent men, women, and children have been bombarded relentlessly since the tragic events of October 7th unfolded in Israel. While Israel has a right to protect and defend it’s citizens for their well being and safety, the people of Gaza are also innocent civilians caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas. What is happening to the people of Gaza is not defense, it is genocide, it is an ethnic cleansing, it is a crime against humanity.
Israel has illegally targeted civilian homes, schools, churches, and hospitals - places of refuge for the most vulnerable. These are war crimes and violates international humanitarian law.
In addition to targeting Israel is blocking the basic necessities to sustain human life into Gaza such as water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical supplies and aid.
Understanding the History between Israel and Palestine:
Before the events of October 7th, I was unaware of the history and deeply complex conflict between Israel and Palestine and if you are too here are a few great resources you can read or watch to gain a better understanding:
Documentaries & Informational Videos:
Gaza Fights For Freedom - Streaming on YouTube: “Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features exclusive footage of demonstrations where 200 unarmed civilians have been killed by Israeli snipers since March 30, 2018.”
How Israeli Apartheid Destroyed My Hometown - Streaming on Youtube “In this deeply personal documentary, Dena spends a day in Hebron retracing the footsteps of her father, who was born and raised in Hebron. She talks to Palestinians who are subjected to daily harassment from the Israeli military and settlers. And she is guided through the city by former Israeli soldiers, who tell her why their conscience is now forcing them to speak out against the occupation.”
Born in Gaza - Streaming on Netflix: “This documentary film focuses on the violence of the Israel-Palestine conflict and it's effects on the children of Gaza. The documentary follows the story of about ten children who tell what their daily life is like after the horror of the war in Gaza in the summer of 2014.”
Is Israel Guilty of Apartheid Against Palestinians? - Streaming on YouTube: “Although it’s most famously associated with the white supremacist regime that used to rule South Africa, apartheid is actually a crime with specific conditions. In this explainer, we look at what those conditions are and whether they truly apply to Israel or not.”
Americans in Jerusalem Are Helping Kick Out Palestinians - Streaming on YouTube: In exclusive footage obtained by AJ+, a group of Americans were filmed installing wiring and a fence around the land just outside the Salem family home in occupied East Jerusalem.
Books:
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe: “Renowned Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe's groundbreaking book revisits the formation of the State of Israel. Between 1947 and 1949, over 400 Palestinian villages were deliberately destroyed, civilians were massacred and around a million men, women, and children were expelled from their homes at gunpoint.”
On Palestine by Noam Chomsky & Ilan Pappe: “Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky, two leading voices in the struggle to liberate Palestine, discuss the road ahead for Palestinians and how the international community can pressure Israel to end its human rights abuses against the people of Palestine. On Palestine is the sequel to their acclaimed book Gaza in Crisis.”
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917--2017: “A landmark history of 100 years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history.”
Some Helpful Resources & Statistics to Understanding the Conflict:
Statistics about the Conflict thus Far:
“Following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in an estimated 1,400 deaths, 4,629 injuries, and an estimated 200 people taken hostage, the Israeli Armed Forces launched strikes by land, sea and air against Gaza. To date, this has resulted in more than 3,785 Palestinian deaths, and more than 12,500 people injured.” - UN Women
6,625 women and children have been injured
493,000 women and girls have been displaced from their homes
50,000 women in Gaza are pregnant, with 5,522 expected to deliver in the next month*
The population of Gaza: “Of the more than 2 million people living in Gaza, roughly half are under the age of 18” - NPR
The Occupation of Water: “Soon after Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, in June 1967, the Israeli military authorities consolidated complete power over all water resources and water-related infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). 50 years on, Israel continues to control and restrict Palestinian access to water in the OPT to a level which neither meets their needs nor constitutes a fair distribution of shared water resources.” - Amenesty.org
A Timeline of Events & A Simple Guide to the Israel & Palestine Conflict: “For decades, Western media outlets, academics, military experts and world leaders have described the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as intractable, complicated and deadlocked. Here’s a simple guide to break down one of the world’s longest-running conflicts” - Al Jazeera
United States Funding to Israel: “Israel is the most significant recipient of US foreign aid, having received some $263bn between 1946 and 2023.” - Al Jazeera
What Are The Demands From The People Of Gaza:
“On Sunday, October 15th, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator to the Occupied Palestinian Territory appealed to all parties to the conflict, and to Member States with influence, to urgently agree to a humanitarian ceasefire.” - OXFAM International
Facilitate the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and the resumption of electricity and internet to Gaza, in addition to safe passage of humanitarian and medical staff
Free all civilian hostages, especially children and elderly
Allow humanitarian convoys to reach UN facilities, schools, hospitals, and health facilities in northern Gaza and commit to protecting them along with the civilians and staff inside them at all times
Rescind orders by the Government of Israel for civilians to depart northern Gaza
Allow patients in critical condition to be medically evacuated for urgent care
What Can You Do:
Call your members of Congress: This guide provides you with a step by step process and a script to call your members of Congress to demand a ceasefire.
You can also download the 5 Calls App to contact your representatives (available for both Android and iOS devices)
Democratic Socialists of America Palestine Solidarity National Toolkit: This is an excellent toolkit which contains resources on ways to help and get involved
Donate to PCRF (Palestine Children’s Relief Fund): PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine, delivering crucial and life-saving medical relief and humanitarian aid where it is needed most.
Creators to Support & Follow for Information, News, & Updates:
I hope this is a helpful resource as so many of us feel helpless right now as we watch in real time, and for the first time, a genocide taking place that we have access to witness on social media. The intent of this post is in no way shape or form used to be anti-semitic as people of the Jewish faith are not the same as the state of Israel just as the Palestinian people are not that of Hamas. I understand this is a deeply complex issue with many moving parts and one that I may never fully understand however, what we are witnessing today happening in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis and one that needs our full attention. This is not about taking sides but rather coming together in solidarity to have empathy and compassion for the loss of all human life involved in this ongoing tragedy. Please find it in your heart to be kind to one another as you interact on social media, lead with love and unconditional compassion, and take the time to do what you can to speak up and bring awareness to this atrocity so that we may soon see a ceasefire in Gaza to get them the desperate aid and assistance needed to continue to sustain the lives of so many innocent men, women, and children who deserve their right to peace, safety, and above all Freedom.