After the presentation, about half of us stuck around to meet with coalition members, to process and talk and plan, and it was during that part of the event when I received a message from one of my friends in Gaza who had just woken in terror to the sound of nearby bombing, when the only remaining hospital in the north was attacked and destroyed by Israeli Forces, leaving patients with no safety, shelter, or medical care, as sick, wounded, and severely ill people were forced to flee into the dangerous streets. Israeli forces have been systematically and intentionally destroying all healthcare facilities, blocking all access to medical supplies, while also targeting, killing, and capturing healthcare workers, and creating conditions intended to inflict more pain, suffering, and death.
Last week, another friend of mine was trying to secure medical treatment for his parents who are ill because of the harsh living conditions and lack of clean water and food, and the clinic they were going to enter was bombed right before they arrived. Had they been moments earlier, they would not have survived.
Meanwhile, the health crisis is growing increasingly serious with every passing moment. Israel's systematic attacks on the water infrastructure in order to destroy the water supply, while also using food and starvation as a weapon, continues unabated. Israel, and the United States are committing Crimes Against Humanity, genocide, violating all international laws, and engaging in violent acts of brutality that defy comprehension. And so far, nothing has been able to stop this.
Palestinians in Gaza are exhausted, fatigued, and starving. Everyone I talk to has lost weight, some of them have lost a dangerous amount. Everyone is sick with severe stomach pain and headaches. And the bombing, shelling, and drone targeting increases every night. The only thing helping people survive right now is the support they are receiving from those of us outside of Gaza who are sending them what we can, while we also try as hard as we can to end this.
This past Saturday, I was thinking a lot about words and actions, about how things are shared, about the power and shortcomings of language. I posted on Twitter that I needed new words. I was sharing Moayed Harazen's post, as he was describing the water crisis, and I wrote:
“Just as starvation is used as a weapon, water & sources of water are also targeted & destroyed. I need different words to convey the seriousness of this. ‘Urgent,’ ‘critical,’ ‘emergency,’ ‘crisis’--these words are not enough. What words will finally compel the world to act?”
I keep thinking about how we do not know what it will be that will finally end this, which means we must keep trying anything and everything we can think of, while also thinking of new things to try. And while we are doing that, we absolutely must give as much support as possible to those who are trying to survive. This is more than critical and urgent--I do not have the words to describe how important this is.
Information About Donating:
You can find a list of links on the right side of this blog site where you can make direct donations to the families' campaigns online. And the eight families I have been trying to introduce to our local community are among them. And you can also find the links to the pages for the eight families on the Whatcom Families for Justice in Palestine linktr.ee.
If you would prefer to give me your contribution so that I can distribute your donation myself, that also works and I am happy to do that. I have been accepting checks, cash, and payments via Zelle–whatever is easiest. Please feel free to reach out to me via email at clarissjanae@gmail.com and we can make arrangements.
.png)