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Writers:Khadija Henni & Elina Yunusova

Catastrophe: noun

Meaning ‘a sudden event that causes great trouble or destruction’.

Suffer: verb

Meaning ‘to experience physical or mental pain’.

Endure: verb

Meaning ‘to suffer something difficult, unpleasant, or painful’.

Catastrophe. Suffering. Endurance. A cycle that never breaks. A cycle that has proven it won't break. Those three words define the experiences of millions of Palestinians since 1948.

A repetition of words and experiences society promised would never happen again.

Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash

Brief Overview Of Palestine History

Before World War I:

Palestine was under Ottoman rule.[1]

World War I (1914-1918):

After the Ottoman Empire's collapsed in 1917, the British took control of Palestine under the Mandate system, through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which partitioned the Middle East.[2]
Interwar Period:
In 1917, the Balfour Declaration expressed British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine, raising tensions between Jewish and Arab communities. [3]
The 1937 Peel Commission suggested partitioning the territory, further escalating conflicts. [4].

Post-World War II:

Britain withdrew from Palestine, handing over the responsibility to the UN [5]
The UN proposed a partition plan in 1947, which was rejected by Arab states.
This led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, resulting in the Nakba, where over 750,000 Palestinians were displaced. [6]

1948:

The declaration of Israel's independence led to military action from neighboring Arab states, resulting in widespread violence and displacement of Palestinians.[7]

Many of whom still hold keys to homes they can never return to.

21st Century:

The conflict continues with subsequent uprisings, military actions, and ongoing settlement expansion in Palestinian territories.
Human rights concerns remain prevalent, including restrictions on movement and military operations.

Disclaimer: The text above offers only a brief overview of Palestine’s history. We encourage you to conduct your own research to gain a deeper understanding of the historical context and the injustices the Palestinians have faced.

Eyes.

The reflector of pain, the witnesser of trauma and the carrier of suffering.

Eyes, the holder of truth and blood, the only part of humans that don’t lie; The witness of the beginnings of massacres and the endings of loved ones.

Eyes, the carrier and witnesser of pains passed down through generations of Palestinians.

The same eyes that carried and witnessed the suffering, never seeing the end of the massacre that began before them; never seeing the homes that their ancestors once inhabited, though these eyes carry their legacy.

Eyes That Speak For Themselves; Full of Stories, Pain, And Silent Cries of Blood

What more is there to say?

Their eyes reflect every word, every trauma, and every pain anyone could experience.

We can only ponder and speculate about their suffering, but we will never truly understand or feel it as the people of Palestine do. They have endured injustices for generations, often hidden from the media.

As we stare at this blank page, struggling to add one more sentence, we realize that their eyes have already expressed everything that needs to be said.

We can’t help but wonder: Why is Palestine silent today? How many voices have been silenced forever as we write this?

The sound of nothingness is dangerous.

It signifies that the cries of fear have been silenced, not by happiness or joy, but by strikes and lies. The cries of mothers, fathers, and children have become distant and silent. Their voices have been erased from the earth by the strikes and bullets of Israel.

Today, the media buzzes about who will qualify for EURO ’24; tomorrow, it critiques another human rights issue, ignoring the ongoing crisis right before their eyes. The week after, they may declare it genocide, and the year after that, they might dedicate a day for the 30,000 souls—

for the thousands of mothers,

For the thousands of fathers,

For the thousands of friends,

For the thousands of aunts,

For the thousands of uncles,

For the thousands of grandparents and double the number of children.

While today's headlines silence their cries, their suffering continues – unseen and unheard. Each lost number represents a person, a life, a family longing for justice. We must remember to listen and speak up, ensuring their pleas for help do not fade into the background of these headlines. These lost souls are not just to be commemorated; they should inspire us to take action and remind us that the fight for their rights is ongoing—today and tomorrow.

Keys That Stayed Generations, Houses That Did Not

While the eyes of Palestinians have been born to witness the pains of generations, they have also been born to witness generations of loss—along with their hopes and homes.

To briefly explain this event, after the end of World War II Britain announced its intention to withdraw from Palestine, handing over the responsibility to the UN, which then appointed the Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) to address the conflicts, despite its lack of experience in conflict resolution.[8]

UNSCOP's approach, particularly to this event, further complicated the situation due to the 1947 UN Partition Plan (UN Resolution 181). This led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, resulting in the mass displacement of Palestinians, known as the Nakba, and the creation of the State of Israel.[9]

The displacements after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, led to Palestinians being forced to move out from their houses and never being able to return due to the houses being given out to what is today called ’settlers’[10].

This displacement resulted in generations of Palestinians holding onto keys to homes they were never able to return to.

To many, a key is just a piece of metal—an object. But for Palestinians, it symbolizes the generations and love nurtured in houses that are now long gone; demolished, burned, and given away.

These keys encapsulate hope, serving as reminders of the homes that no longer stand, the lives that have been lost, and the dreams that have been forgotten.

Palestinians hold onto their keys as symbols of hope, longing for a future where they can return home and rebuild their lives.

Four Lives For Two-Hundred Souls; Devastation For Some, Celebration For Others

While the rescue of hostages should be celebrated, it raises a question: Can it still be celebrated when such a mission results in the murdering of 200 civilians?

Israeli forces recently rescued four hostages from Gaza; However, this mission led to over 200 Palestinians being killed and nearly 700 injured in the Nuseirat refugee camp.[11]

According to an Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari,

"We know about under 100 (Palestinian) casualties. I don't know how many of them are terrorists."[12]

Four lives: breathing, eating, seeing, speaking.

Two hundred souls, including a hundred children's souls—voiceless, murdered, killed, dead. It's a comparison that shouldn't have to be made, yet demands attention:

When did the lives of humans become mere numbers?

200.

Two hundred…

Two hundred souls, two hundred faces, two hundred hearts, two hundred loved ones, two hundred lives, two hundred human beings killed for four lives.

It makes us wonder how many Hamas members were actually killed compared to civilians and whether or not it even matters anymore. How many lives have been taken away today by the strikes and lies?

Yesterday it was 200. The days before that it was 30 000.

Abd al-Jawad Mizar Jamal Hoso (0 years old), Abdel Khaleq Fadi Khaled Al Baba (0 years old), Abdel Rahim Ahmed Abdel Rahim Awad (0 years old), Abdel Rahman Ahmed Essam Salah (0 years old), Abdel Rahman Samir Salama Saad (0 years old), Abdel Raouf Ibrahim Abdel Raouf Al-Farra (0 years old), Abdul Karim Abdullah Omar Shehab (0 years old), Abdul Karim Kamel Zidane Al-Hawajri (0 years old), Abdullah Ahmed Khalil Zorob (0 years old), Abdullah Amir Abdullah Al Khor (0 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Abdul Hamid Muhanna (0 years old), Adam Magdy Jaber Al-Dahdouh (0 years old), Adam Muhammad Fouad Al Agha (0 years old), Adam Muhammad Samir Abu Ajwa (1 year old), Ahmed Moamen Ahmed Daloul (1 year old), Ahmed Mohamed Amin Nofal (1 year old), Ahmed Mahmoud Ayman Al-Jayeh (1 year old), Ahmed Mohammed Mohammed Khalifa (1 year old), Ahmed Mustafa Ahmed Sheikh Al-Eid (1 year old), Abdul Rahman Alaa Imad Al-Ajl (2 years old), Abdul Rahman Ayman Sabry Barhoum (2 years old), Abdullah Nour El-Din Shaker Abdel-Al (2 years old), Abd al-Rahman Baraa Abd al-Rahman al-Hawar (2 years old), Abdel Hamid Mohamed Abdel Hamid Ashour (2 years old), Abdel Nasser Ahmed Abdel Nasser Shamlakh (2 years old), Abdel Nour Amin Marwan Abu Shakyan (2 years old), Ahmed Amjad Majed Abu Odeh (3 years old), Ahmed Basil Ramadan Abed (3 years old), Ahmed Hakim Mahmoud Al-Helu (3 years old), Abdul Rahman Abdullah Fayek Mahmoud (3 years old), Abdul Rahman Ahmed Essam Shaat (3 years old), Abdul Rahman Ahmed Marwan Abu Taim (3 years old), Abdul Rahman Deeb Abdullah Rifaat Abu Al-Qumsan (3 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Bassam Al-Jarjawi (4 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Fadl Hassouna (4 years old), Abd al-Jawad Muhammad Abd al-Jawad Abu Ras (4 years old), Abdel Aziz Abdel Nasser Dawoud Al-Halisi (4 years old), Abdel Salam Mahmoud Jumah Abu Jazar (4 years old), Abdul Aziz Hatem Jabr Al-Rai (4 years old), Abdul Aziz Radwan Naeem Al-Helou (4 years old), Abdul Karim Jamal Salim Al-Ramlawi (4 years old), Abdul Khaleq Khaled Radwan Shabat (4 years old), Abdul Rahman Raed Ahmed Kishko (5 years old), Abdul Salam Muhammad Eid Bakr (5 years old), Abdul Aziz Abdullah Zaki Darwish (5 years old), Abdul Karim Youssef Ramadan Abu Al-Omrain (5 years old), Abdul Rahman Ahmed Mahmoud Saidam (5 years old), Abdul Rahman Haitham Jamal Abu Sharkh (5 years old), Abdul Rahman Khattab Omar Al-Bahloul (5 years old), Abdul Rahman Mazen Muhammad Maarouf (5 years old), Abdul Rahman Mahmoud Naeem Haboush (6 years old), Abdul Rahman Musa Muhammad Al-Aidi (6 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Abdullah Shaqura (6 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Fathi Abu Ajwa (6 years old), Adam Osama Muhammad Al-Jamasi (6 years old), Adam Fadi Fathi Al-Nabahin (6 years old), Abdul Qader Ismail Abdel Qader Abu Joudeh (7 years old), Abdul Karim Saber Younis Radwan (7 years old), Abdul Rahman Ayman Samir Abu Shammala (7 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Abd al-Hakim al-Qadrah (7 years old), Abdul Rahman Rami Mahmoud Khreis (7 years old), Abdullah Shaker Marzouk Al-Kahlot (7 years old), Abdullah Ziyad Ahmed Al-Muqayd (7 years old), Ahmed Akram Hassan Akram Al-Dahshan (7 years old), Ahmed Ezz Muhammad Al-Qarman (7 years old), Abdul Rahman Jasser Hamid Abu Musa (8 years old), Abdul Rahman Karam Khamis Abu Club (8 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Othman Al-Ghalayini (8 years old), Abdul Rahman Nasser Hosni Musa (8 years old), Abdul Rahman Youssef Ibrahim Musleh (8 years old), Abdullah Abdel Nasser Daoud Al-Halisi (8 years old), Abdullah Hamza Mufid Hegazy (8 years old), Abdullah Mu'nis Muhammad Al-Buraim (8 years old), Abdullah Nafez Ramadan Maghari (8 years old), Abdullah Samir Salama Saad (8 years old), Adam Arafat Talal Abu Atiwi (8 years old), Abrar Majid Muhammad Saleh (8 years old), Abdel Razzaq Ramez Abdel Razzaq El Masry (9 years old), Abdul Hadi Majid Ismail Abu Shammala (9 years old), Abdul Karim Hossam Abdul Karim Hanoun (9 years old), Abdul Malik Thaer Malik Taroush (9 years old), Abdul Rahman Osama Fouad Abu Odeh (9 years old), Abdulaziz Muhammad Ahmed Al-Dahshan (9 years old), Abdullah Khaled Muhammad Al-Maqadma (9 years old), Abdullah Mahmoud Abdullah Abu Zayed (9 years old), Adam Hossam Azmi Muslim (9 years old), Adam Maher Faisal Al-Awawda (9 years old), Abdullah Mahmoud Muhammad Shanaa (9 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Yusuf Hussein (9 years old), Abdul Hadi Alaa Abdul Hadi Masoud (10 years old), Abdul Rahman Abdullah Yaqoub Al-Hawar (10 years old), Abdullah Mahmoud Abdullah Shaheen (10 years old), Abdullah Mujahid Alaa Abdul Qader Abu Joudeh (10 years old), Abdullah Rabie Muhammad Haboub (10 years old), Abdullah Waseem Muhammad Jabr Suwaidan (10 years old), Adam Muhammad Nabil Al-Aidi (10 years old), Adham Mansour Adham Al-Falooji (10 years old), Adam Maher Faisal Al-Awawda (10 years old), Abboud Yahya Sami Al-Jourani (11 years old), Abdel Ati Amer Abdel Ati Abu Saeed (11 years old), Abdel Qader Rami Abdel Qader Al Attar (11 years old), Abdul Aziz Louay Mahmoud Al-Saafin (11 years old), Abdul Karim Raafat Abdul Karim Al-Astal (11 years old), Abdul Latif Osama Abdul Latif Saleh (11 years old), Abdul Rahman Ammar Ibrahim Al-Jarousha (11 years old), Abdul Rahman Mahmoud Darwish Muhaisen (11 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Asaad Malik (11 years old), Abdullah Youssef Saeed Labad (11 years old), Abdul Karim Awad Rajab Shaaban (12 years old), Abdul Rahman Ahmed Deeb Abu Qamar (12 years old), Abdul Rahman Fadl Tawfiq Al-Zant (12 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Fahmy Al-Najjar (12 years old), Abdul Rahman Saeed Jaber Abu Huwaishil (12 years old), Abdul Rahman Talaat Ali Barhoum (12 years old), Abdullah Issa Jasser Al-Batsh (12 years old), Abdullah Iyad Rajab Shaaban (12 years old), Abdullah Mahmoud Nasr Jarada (12 years old), Abdel Rahman Ahmed Abdel Rahman Shehab (13 years old), Abdul Karim Khaled Ismail Abu Al-Ela (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Kamal Awad Khattab (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Mahmoud Abd al-Razzaq al-Ghalban (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Matar Abd al-Rahman Khalla (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Shehda Khadr (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Raed Suleiman Abu Mughasib (13 years old), Abdul Rahman Yasser Saeed Al-Kurd (13 years old), Abdullah Iyad Fouad Huna (13 years old), Abdullah Muhammad Fadl Hamed Hassouna (13 years old), Abdullah Raed Abdullah Yassin (13 years old), Abdullah Zaki Shukri Al-Kurd (13 years old), Abeer Khaled Muhammad Al-Jourani (13 years old), Abeer Muhammad Kamal Al-Masry (13 years old),Naseba Ali Ayesh Al-Arair (14 years old), Abrar Saleh Yousef Al Agha (14 years old), Adam Hassan Abdel Wahab Abu Al-Aoun (14 years old), Sama Adnan Harb Al-Kurd (14 years old), Afnan Aladdin Ahmed, Abu Younis (14 years old), Afnan Magdy Gomaa Abu Rizk (14 years old), Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed Abu Nada (14 years old), Abdel-Azim Eid Abdel-Azim Al-Jarjawi (15 years old),Abdul Karim Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Najjar (15 years old), Abdul Rahman Abdullah Muhammad Al-Akkad (15 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Abdul Majeed Youssef (15 years old), Abdullah Hamada Fayed Abu Salima (15 years old), Abdullah Hamdi Muhammad Abu Alyan (15 years old), Abdullah Khaled Ismail Akl (15 years old), Abdul Rahman Jamal Saadat Ali Hassan (16 years old), Abdul Rahman Maher Youssef Dawas (16 years old). Abdullah Jawad Mahmoud Al-Hassi (16 years old), Ahmed Al-Qasim Zuhair Abdul Qadir Al-Kurd (16 years old), Ahmed Ayman Muhammad Al-Amsi (16 years old), Ahmed Azmi Musa Zanoun (16 years old), Ahmed Iyad Lafi Warsh Agha (16 years old), Ali Ali Issa Al-Nashar (16 years old), Amal Asaad Hammad Al-Bashiti (16 years old), Amal Musharraf Mohammed Hamad (16 years old), Amin Muhammad Amin Nofal (16 years old),Amira Imad Hamdan Totah (16 years old, Abdel Fattah Ahmed Abdel Fattah Al-Salout (17 years old), Abdul Rahman Mamdouh Salem Hajji (17 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Ahmad al-Astal (17 years old), Abdul Rahman Muhammad Mutee Hassouna (17 years old), Abdullah Basil Ayesh Shaat (17 years old), Abdullah Imad Hassan Al-Aqis (17 years old), Abdullah Osama Ahmed Sheikh Al-Eid (17 years old), Adam Jumaa Omar Al-Rai (17 years old), Afnan Hassan Abdel Karim Safi (17 years old), Ahd Yasser Saeed Abu Salisel (17 years old), Ahmed Adel Abdel Rahman Abu Ayada (17 years old), [13]

Truth to be told, no matter how long the list of the murdered children is, their lives will always be labeled as 'political' or 'collateral damage.'

We have allowed their rights to be trampled upon, their voices to be silenced, and their minds to be disregarded. We have let lies blind us and turned our eyes away from the truth.

Endless Questions, Limited Human Lives

Did it really start on October 7th, if the 17 year olds lived through four wars (2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2021) and were killed in their fifth?

Did it really start on October 7th if the 16 years old lived through three wars?

Did it really start on October 7th if, for generations, mothers have grieved over their murdered children, kids have cried out for their lost parents, and fathers have suffered the humiliation of being stripped and blindfolded?

Do you believe it all started on October 7th, or are you blinded by your privileges and lies?

Each of us shares the responsibility for their suffering. Our actions, our inactions, and our indifference have contributed to a global landscape where suffering is pervasive.

It is through their faces, their eyes, and their hearts that we must acknowledge our collective role in their suffering.

We can see their resilience through our screens but today's victims could have been saved by yesterday's ceasefire.

You can help.

Food:

Education

Healthcare

Other Initiatives

Notes from the writers:

Of all the articles on R&M, this one took the longest to write. Why? Because what Palestinians are enduring isn't just a series of isolated incidents—it's an ongoing cycle of trauma, loss and killings without any disregard for their lives. Expressing their pain in words has been incredibly challenging. How can anyone convey their reality without getting emotional? How can anyone capture their pain and loss with mere words? Their experience goes beyond words; no amount of description or pictures can fully capture what they're going through.

The numbers listed here are not exact. According to the UN, over 100,000 people have been killed, injured, or are missing, but only 30,000 have been identified.[14] This discrepancy reveals the dehumanization and lies; the gap between these numbers represents countless lives being erased from our awareness.

We are wondering, how many civilians are being bombed, killed, murdered without any care whatsoever for their lives. As we are writing this?

Sources

[1]“The Sykes Picot Agreement - School of English.” Birmingham City University, https://www.bcu.ac.uk/english/research/stories-of-sacrifice/virtual-tour/the-sykes-picot-agreement. Accessed 10 June 2024.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Page, Rob. “Balfour Declaration - House of Commons Library.” The House of Commons Library, 14 November 2016, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7766/. Accessed 13 June 2024.

[4] Carter, Jimmy. Palestine. Simon & Schuster, 2007.

[5]“The Question Of Palestine.” U.K. Position on Withdrawal of Troops From Palestine, 1947, https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-214180/. Accessed 30 April 2024.

[5]Pappe, Ilan. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. Oneworld Publications, 2007.

[7]Khalidi, Rashid. The Iron Cage. Beacon Press, 2006.

[8]Pappe, Ilan. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. Oneworld Publications, 2007.

[9] Ibid.

[10]Khalidi, Rashid. The Iron Cage. Beacon Press, 2006.

[11] Graham, Emma, and Bethan McKernan. “Outrage over 'massacre' in Gaza as Israel rescued four hostages.” The Guardian, 9 June 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/09/israel-gaza-hostages-rescue-eu-outrage. Accessed 11 June 2024.

[12] Al-Mughrabi, Nidal. “Israel keeps pounding central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in hostage rescue raid rises to 274.” Reuters, 9 June 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-pounds-central-gaza-palestinian-death-toll-hostage-rescue-raid-rises-274-2024-06-09/. Accessed 14 June 2024.

[13] Know their names: Palestinian children killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, 25 January 2024, https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2024/israel-war-on-gaza-10000-children-killed/. Accessed 20 April 2024.

[14]“Rafah a 'pressure cooker of despair' in Gaza; US ambassador to UN stresses vital role of UNRWA.” United Nations in Palestine, 5 February 2024, https://palestine.un.org/en/259667-rafah-%E2%80%98pressure-cooker-despair%E2%80%99-gaza-us-ambassador-un-stresses-vital-role-unrwa. Accessed 15 June 2024

Through Their Faces, Eyes And Hearts, We Are Responsible For Their Suffering: Through Their Rights And Minds, We Have Let Them Suffer