GAZA, (PIC)
The genocidal war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people represents a real massacre that is happening in plain sight of the world, claiming the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals.
A report published by the French website Media Part, indicates that a massive massacre is taking place in front of the world’s eyes, where tens of thousands of children have been killed or seriously injured during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza over a period of five months. To represent, together with women, the majority of recorded deaths so far that have exceeded 31,000.
The author of the report, Rachida Al-Azzouzi, shed light on the story of the child Hind Rajab, who perished with her family when their car was targeted by the Israeli occupation forces. The author highlighted the desperate plea of the child as she begged the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue workers to come and save her, saying, “I am very afraid, please come.”
Describing the terrifying ordeal experienced by Hind, the staff member who spoke to her said, “Sometimes she would tell me that they are all asleep, and at other times, she would say, ‘They have all died, and there is blood everywhere.'”
In her report, the author said that Hind Rajab, who did not even reach the age of six, is an example of the slaughtered childhood in Gaza. Her lifeless body was found two weeks after she sought help, along with the bodies of her relatives and two paramedics who attempted to assist her.
The audio recording of Hind’s final phone call spread, serving as a testimony to the world, which stood helpless in the face of this war described by UNICEF as a war on children.
On his part, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, affirmed that what Israel is carrying out is a war on children, a war on their childhood and their future, pointing to statistics indicating that the number of children killed in Gaza since October 7th, 2023, exceeds the number of children killed during the four years of all conflicts around the world.
Physical and psychological destruction
The report emphasized the suffering of the wounded as a result of various and serious injuries. It includes a statement from the medical coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in Palestine, Gémit Thomas, about the great suffering of the injured children who are transferred to hospitals that lack everything. They cannot be treated under humane conditions due to a shortage of medications and anesthesia products.
The head of the mission, Leo Kanz, narrates the story of six-year-old Mariam, who lost her right leg and half of her face was burned. Her mother, brother, and sister were killed, and her father is missing. She is left with only her aunt. The story of five-year-old Malak is also mentioned. She was killed in a bombing attack on a hall rented by his organization for its employees, and the organization provided the coordinates to the occupation army.
According to the report, Mariam and Malak represent a generation of orphans who see their present and future as destroyed. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, more than 17,000 children have lost one or both parents.
Returning doctors from Gaza express their shock at the number of child and female casualties, as well as the number of seriously injured and orphaned children. Dr. Gémit Thomas asks, “What level of horror is required for this to stop?” She points out the sacrifice of entire generations and warns that children deprived of the innocence of childhood will continue to endure a painful and extremely dangerous environment, with long-lasting physical and mental effects. The doctor condemns what she describes as the physical and psychological destruction suffered by civilian residents, half of whom are minors.
Thomas provides an example of the psychological suffering of children through the description of a Palestinian nurse and her children. Every night, she observes them helpless and powerless, as they wake up and scream at the slightest noise, believing it to be a bombing, and ask, “Are we going to die now?”
And in turn, the child psychologist at Médecins Sans Frontières, Audrey MacMahon, refers to dozens of children who undergo amputations without anesthesia, enduring physical and emotional pain that is difficult to imagine. She adds that they have lost their homes and families, and now they are losing parts of their bodies, and they have to cope with their physical disabilities.
The child psychologist emphasizes the suffering of Palestinian children from the continuous pressure resulting from violence, hunger, thirst, and cold. She confirms the psychological distress associated with the loss of their parents, families, friends, and parts of their bodies, in addition to their homes, toys, and world.
Starvation warfare
Social media networks are filled with pictures of emaciated children, with sunken eyes and frail bodies, dying of hunger in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is subjected to continuous bombardment. The occupation army prevents international aid from entering except in minimal quantities, which amounts to deliberate starvation. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, described it as a war crime and a case of genocide.
On the other hand, Dr. Imad Dardouna, a pediatrician at Kamal Adwan Hospital, warns that the medical profession is unable to cope with the suffering of malnourished victims, which will ultimately result in the destruction of children, including delayed growth and cognitive development. He adds that doctors have nothing to offer these victims except giving them sugar solutions.
The report highlights the images of the suffering of Yazan al-Kafarna, 10 years old, which have spread around the world before he passed away in one of the hospitals in Rafah due to the lack of food and medicine. He suffered from cerebral palsy and needed a balanced diet that was not available.
French doctor Raphael Pitti describes the deprivation of Gaza’s children, saying that the only place of amusement for them is inside hospitals, where they collect gloves and use syringes to fill them with stagnant water, and they play a war game by spraying each other.
Targeting human dignity
After spending a month in Gaza, French-Moroccan obstetrician Dr. Zahir Lahna says that dozens of children, infants, and their mothers have become devastated and transformed into subhuman creatures as a result of war, food shortages, forced displacement, and continuous bombing.
Dr. Zahir adds that he has never seen anything like this before, describing Gaza as the most atrocious place, where more than two million people are trapped in a small piece of land with no means of escape. They are being massacred, starved, and thirsty, and they are being killed by the occupation army that attacks children to destroy their future and the future of Palestine.
In this context, child psychologist MacMahon speaks of permanent trauma, emphasizing that Palestinian children suffer from permanent trauma, culturally, historically, psychologically, physically, intimately, and collectively, with devastating consequences. She adds that they are prone to behavioral disorders, anxiety, depression, and panic during sleep.
The report also does not overlook the situation of mental health workers, as they live in a state of constant tension and terror. Through their interactions with many children and adults in Gaza, they feel anger towards humanity and wonder if they still belong to the human race. Their forced expression of their needs is a deep attack on their dignity, especially with the images of the massacre and famine before their eyes. They say, “We don’t have to say it; it’s up to you to act.”
