Despite the ceasefire, the dispute over land rights — a forced expulsion that in many cases leaves Palestinians forced to destroy their own homes or pay a fee to a settler company to destroy it — remains unresolved, and this ceasefire has happened nearly nine other times in the past, with countless numbers of deaths.
Despite the ceasefire, the dispute over land rights — a forced expulsion that in many cases leaves Palestinians forced to destroy their own homes or pay a fee to a settler company to destroy it — remains unresolved, and this ceasefire has happened nearly nine other times in the past, with countless numbers of deaths.
As people cry for joy that a ceasefire had been announced, millions still cry over the loss of their loved ones. Unfortunately, the recovery for Palestinians will be far tougher to get through.
Homes are buried in ashes, people are still stuck in rubble, and more than 200 did not wake up to see another day. Kids who had parents are now left as orphans with no place to go. The Palestine humanitarian crisis is still apparent everywhere you look.
Several news outlets and social media platforms have been censoring information regarding the severity of this ongoing crisis. How inhuman is it to feel the genuine pain of a child who has to wake up to bombs every single day since they were born?
The conversation isn’t over despite this censorship. We will keep posting on social media and keep advocating for our fellow brothers and sisters to make sure their voices are being heard and their stories are being shared. Education is powerful and incredibly impactful.
Humanitarian Aid To Palestine Is Targeted By Israel
Prior to the ceasefire, several humanitarian groups were struggling to get aid safely delivered to those who needed it most due to the constant airstrikes.
The UN reported that only five of 24 humanitarian trucks were able to enter Gaza to deliver aid just this past May.
Gaza Is Unable to Rebuild
Before the ceasefire, about 230 buildings that contained more than 951 housing and commercial units were destroyed, according to Vox. 72,000 people were displaced, and about 56,000 of that number were children.
According to an article in Reuters, it would cost another $200 million to rebuild about 2,000 of the housing units that were destroyed. A retired public official whose house was destroyed back in 2014 has still not seen it rebuilt.
How can Gaza rebuild and heal if there is no way for them to access humanitarian aid?
Palestinians Suffer From Water Occupation
Beyond being able to rebuild, Gazans lack access to basic living necessities. According to the United Nations, approximately 800,000 people in Gaza don’t have access to clean water. This is due to the fact that about 50% of the water network was damaged from the bombings.
Even before this recent set of attacks, Palestinians in Gaza had minimal access to water. Previous attacks as well as the ongoing blockade have left them reliant on their occupiers for access to clean, drinkable water.
Beyond this, Israel has a history of discriminatory policies of Palestinians accessing water. Israel controls and restricts Palestinian access to water that doesn’t meet their needs or is a fair distribution of shared water resources. Amnesty International documents that water consumption by Israelis is at least four times that of Palestinians living in the occupied territories.
Palestinians are being denied water to a scale that is considered a systemic human rights violation. Palestinians consume on average 73 liters of water a day per person, which is well below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended daily minimum of 100 liters per capita.
Every wave of violence against the Palestinian people exponentially destroys their livelihoods. Palestinians need our help, now more than ever. The humanitarian crisis in Palestine is worsening day by day. We need to continue our efforts to shed light on the crisis, and we need the world to make sure this can’t continue.
Despite the ceasefire, the dispute over land rights — a forced expulsion that in many cases leaves Palestinians forced to destroy their own homes or pay a fee to a settler company to destroy it — remains unresolved, and this ceasefire has happened nearly nine other times in the past, with countless numbers of deaths according to The New York Times.
The ceasefire may have been the end to the most recent aerial onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza, but Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and specifically Jerusalem are still being forced from their homes daily. No one deserves to not have a home, or to live in constant fear that a ceasefire might be soon broken.
Zakat Foundation of America, a humanitarian organization based in Chicago, has been on the ground in Palestine for over two decades, working around the clock to ensure emergency aid is delivered properly to those who need it the most. The organization also partners with United Nations Relief and Works Agency USA (UNRWA USA) to help repair houses that were destroyed in the Gaza Strip.
If you’re looking for ways to help, visit their website, where you can donate as little as $5 to make a huge impact. Let’s work together to help give these innocent people their lives back and to prevent the situation from worsening.
