A Little While Back, I Was Not Educated On Everything Going On In Gaza. I Wasn't On Social Media Much,

A little while back, I was not educated on everything going on in Gaza. I wasn't on Social Media much, for mental health purposes, and only started hearing and seeing stuff about it when I started uploading my Watcher and other fandom artworks. The people in my life are very conservative, so I didn't see or hear any of this until around late October, I think. I can't think of the exact point in time.

Anyways, since then I have been on here more and have been seeing it more. I have been continuing to educate myself on the matter and stand proudly with Palestine. Some of my family is not happy about this at all. I honestly don't give a shit anymore. I cannot talk about it to most of the people in my family, so since I saw this post, I will say what I'm feeling here then.

She is absolutely correct. This is not normal. She and no one should have to be going through this. To be forced into making this decision is something I couldn't imagine. This is cruel. Those people are human beings. They're not toys you can just mess around with and throw away when you get bored with them. They are not livestock for you to slaughter. They have families! They have loved ones! They laugh, love, bleed, and cry just like the rest of us! They deserve justice!

I saw videos, online entries, and pictures of families, friends, and all sorts of people clutching the bodies of the people they loved most. They are grieving. Some are still processing the idea that those people are gone. Some of these people are processing the idea that they might not even make it home. The people they love were STOLEN from them and for what?

I watched videos of parents saying goodbye to their dead children. Children saying goodbye to their dead parents and friends.

I watched a video of a man sleeping next to the covered body of his childhood best friend. He refused to leave his side.

Journalists holding funerals for other fellow journalists by laying their vest on their corpses. Journalists sending their final videos and messages to their families and to the world because they know they will likely not make it home.

As of January 21:

83 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 76 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese.

16 journalists were reported injured.

3 journalists were reported missing.

25 journalists were reported arrested.

There have been multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.

(If those numbers are wrong, please let me know!)

The CPJ also reported 16 injured journalists and 3 missing journalists.

"Nothing can describe what you feel. You get to the point where you feel it's useless. But you have to show the world what's happening,” says reporter Youmna ElSayed.

The men, women, children, and others have been through and are continuing to go through things I cannot even imagine. There is not enough words to describe the anger I feel at the moment. The anger and mourning they all feel is probably greater than any anger. Why? Because those people are innocent. Those people had and are still having their loved ones, homes, pets, hospitals, schools, EVERYTHING stolen from them.

Since the war started, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while another 62,681 have been wounded.

They are purposely starving these people. 570k+ people have been starving due to war fallout. Prior to the current hostilities, 1.2 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million people were estimated to be facing acute food insecurity, and over 80 percent were reliant on humanitarian aid.

On November 28, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said that Gaza is suffering from at least a US$1.6 million daily loss in farm production and the Palestine Food Security Sector, led by the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization, reported that over a third of agricultural land in the north had been damaged in the hostilities. Satellite imagery reviewed by Human Rights Watch indicates that since the start of the Israeli military's ground offensive on October 27, agricultural land, including orchards, greenhouses, and farmland in northern Gaza, has been razed, apparently by Israeli forces.

“The Israeli government is compounding its collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and the blocking of humanitarian aid by its cruel use of starvation as a weapon of war,” Shakir said. “The deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza calls for an urgent and effective response from the international community.”

They are doing everything in their power to ensure that the Palestinian people are wiped from the map. I looked a few thing up this week and I was reading this:

"According to a January 2024 analysis, Israel's aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza is responsible for over 99% of the 281,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent generated in the first 60 days after the October 7 Hamas attack.

The carbon emissions from the first few weeks of the war are equivalent to the annual energy use of around 2,300 homes, or the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from around 4,600 passenger vehicles.

The war has also destroyed sanitation and water treatment systems, and left a new layer of toxic chemicals in Gaza's soil. Israel has also targeted the environment by destroying essential infrastructure, such as limiting water, electricity, and fuel supplies to Gaza.

The conflict has also raised energy prices, which could mean that energy security concerns will take precedence over energy transition initiatives. This could entrench the power of fossil fuel interests worldwide."

If you support israel, you aren't just killing Palestine, but you are literally helping to doom our planet. They are genocidal monsters. In October 2023, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, "We are fighting against human animals". Comments about fighting "human animals," making Gaza a slaughterhouse, and erasing the Gaza Strip are key components of the ICJ genocide case.

Dan Gillerman, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, also called Palestinians "inhuman animals." Are these really the people you want to support? Like I stated earlier, those HUMAN BEINGS are NOT livestock. To dehumanise, mock, starve, slaughter, and terrorise those innocent people, is downright disgusting. I am not religious, but if I were I would say that there is a special place in Hell for people like that.

Before you support anyone, or anything, please research, ask around, do anything in your power to educate yourself and support what you believe because you know it is the right and just thing. It can be scary to be around people in your life who are completely against your beliefs and who you are as a whole, believe me, I get it, but thinking and believing/supporting what you believe, for yourself, because you believe it, is an amazing feeling. Think for yourself! If the people in your life support israel and there's no way for you to protest safely, if you have private access to online forums, then do your best to just read up as much as you can. Educating yourself is the first step.

I am still trying to find as many resources as possible to help spread awareness and support. So please, to anyone who is currently uninformed like I was, or just doesn't know how to help/bring support to the genocide going on right now, you can do these things to help:

Call or email your representatives about this. I saw a website the other day. You can join the AFSC online for weekly Action Hour for a Cease-Fire. Every Friday, they share updates from AFSC’s staff in Gaza, tips for advocacy, and then make calls and write letters to Congress. So, I would definitely recommend checking them out! You can sign up for Action Hour -> here

Here is a book you can read. It's about 12 Palestinian writers writing about what they dream for the future of Gaza. The book is called “Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire.”

Here's a collection of Palestinian books you can buy: Free Palestine! books

Humanitarian Aid for the Palestinian people: here

Research the subject. Talk to people, whether that be online or in-person. Any source of information you can get is useful.

Avoid companies that you know are in support of the genocide. If you do not know the companies, ask a friend or look up online what companies are supporting Israel. Here is a link to that: here.

I am going to be doing this myself, but even online, like many people have been doing, you can add the flag or something in your bio to show support such as the Palestinian flag or the phrase "Free Palestine!" to make others aware of your support.

Join protests, make art. Whatever it takes to spread the message out into the world to help these people, please do it!

The year has just started, let's do out best to be there for each other and stick together! Whatever help and support you offer will not go unnoticed!

I wish everyone a safe and pleasant night (or day where you come from). Let's do our best! If this helps/informs even one person, I am happy! Thank you for reading! 💛

❤️🖤🤍💚

To the deceased Journalists, we will never forget you. Thank you for everything you've done.

Here is a link to the list of killed, injured, and missing journalists -> here

Free Palestine!

Noor Harazeen you are the world's hero. You're completely correct, this is not normal. This is evil and no human needs to make these decisions.