[
Pricey President Biden,
I’m writing to you for the second time. I first wrote to you on November 4 when 47 members of my neighborhood, together with 36 of my family, had been murdered in a single assault by Israeli occupation forces (IOF). The bloodbath befell within the Khan Younis refugee camp within the southern space of the Gaza Strip, the place individuals had been thought-about protected, as claimed by your ally Israel.
I’m uncertain whether or not my first letter reached you or whether or not your media staff made you conscious of its contents. Both approach, you haven't modified your place. Your specific assist for Israel, together with large-scale arms transfers, signifies that many such massacres have since been carried out along with your assist.
Since writing that letter, I’ve misplaced one other 220 members of my household.
Precisely a month earlier, on January 31, my father's cousin, 40-year-old Khaled Ammar, who had been displaced in Khan Yunis, was killed alongside together with his complete household when an Israeli tank attacked the place the place they had been residing. There was shelling. Khaled's spouse, Majdoline, 38, their 4 daughters, Malak, 17, Sara, 16, Aya, 9, and Rafif, 7, and their two sons, Osama, 14, and Anas, 2, had been all killed within the assault.
Khalid's disabled brother Mohammad, 42, and their mom Fatiya, 60, had been additionally among the many victims. Their our bodies weren’t buried for greater than every week. Khalid's surviving brother, 35-year-old Bilal, made repeated calls to the Palestinian Pink Cross Society for help, however they might not ship rescue groups to seek for survivors as a result of the IOF had not given them permission.
Once I visited Gaza final summer time, Majdoline and her two younger daughters, Rafif and Aya, came around me. I nonetheless bear in mind Rafif making an attempt to trip my youngest niece Rasha's bike. I nonetheless bear in mind them operating down the road consuming candies purchased from my cousin Asad's store. His laughter nonetheless echoes in my ears.
However right now, Mr. President, there isn’t any Aya, no Rafif, no Assad, who was killed by IAF alongside together with his spouse, kids, mom, two sisters, sister-in-law and their kids. There are not any roads, no homes, no outlets, no laughter. Solely the echoes of destruction and the deafening silence of loss.
At present, the residential space of Khan Younis refugee camp the place I grew up is decreased to rubble. Hundreds of refugees, together with all surviving members of my prolonged household, at the moment are displaced in Al Mawasi and Rafah. They’re residing in tents. His efficiency isn’t good, Mr. Speaker.
I haven't heard from them for a while, as a result of Israel has reduce off communications. On February 10, my nephew, Aziz, 23, walked three kilometers regardless of hazard to succeed in the sting of Rafah to entry the Web. He informed me that demise had handed him many instances, however for now it had left him. They’re hungry, thirsty and chilly.
Regardless of the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice ruling that Israel should guarantee help is offered to Gaza, there isn’t any electrical energy, no sanitation, no medicines, no communications or any companies accessible to them.
If individuals survive Israeli bombs, they won’t survive the injuries sustained in Israeli bombings and the explosion of infectious and non-communicable illnesses. The well being care system has collapsed below Israeli assault.
In February, IOF laid siege to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, the second largest hospital within the Gaza Strip. 300 medical employees had been stranded within the hospital together with 450 sufferers and roughly 10,000 internally displaced individuals had been in search of shelter in or across the hospital.
For a number of days, the IOF didn’t permit World Well being Group (WHO) rescue groups to evacuate sufferers and employees or ship much-needed meals, medical provides and gas. All through this time, the medical employees displayed exceptional braveness and dedication to their sufferers, making an attempt to maintain them alive within the face of Israeli assaults. Dr. Amira Al Assouli, who rushed amid Israeli gunfire to assist one of many wounded within the hospital courtyard, is a vivid instance of this.
Numerous individuals who sought refuge within the hospital premises had been killed or injured; A few of these murders had been recorded on digicam.
On 13 February, IOF despatched Jamal Abu al Ola, a younger man who had been detained and tortured by Israeli troopers, to the hospital to ask Palestinians sheltering there to go away. Wearing white PPE and together with his arms tied, he delivered the message after which – as instructed – proceeded in the direction of the hospital gate, however was shot. His execution was documented by a journalist on the hospital and launched to the general public.
Will you order an investigation, Mr Speaker? Will you demand that these liable for the homicide of Jamal and lots of others at Nasir Hospital be punished or will you once more settle for the IOF's model of occasions?
On 15 February, IOF raided the hospital, evacuating hundreds of individuals amid heavy bombardment and forcibly disappearing a whole bunch – amongst them at the least 70 medical employees. This continues the sample began in Gaza Metropolis. When IOF raided Al Shifa Hospital, it detained a few of its employees, together with the hospital's director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, who’s being held in an Israeli jail. Then, as now, the excuse was that they had been looking for the Hamas command middle – a false story, Mr. President, you readily accepted.
In the course of the raid on Nasir Hospital, at the least eight sufferers died resulting from energy and oxygen being reduce off. When a WHO staff was lastly allowed to enter the hospital, its employees described it as “a spot of demise”. After a whole bunch of sufferers had been evacuated, about 25 medical employees remained within the hospital to take care of the remaining 120 sufferers and not using a safe provide of meals, water or medicines.
Among the many common sufferers at Nasir Hospital was my relative Inshirah, who suffered from kidney failure and required dialysis each week. She lived within the Al Qararah space, east of Khan Yunis.
When IAF bombed her space, she moved to a camp for displaced individuals. When IAF attacked the camp, she moved to Hay al Amal. When it was bombed, her kids determined to take her to the close by Nasser Hospital.
As circumstances within the hospital deteriorated, the frequency of her dialysis classes was decreased to as soon as each 2 weeks after which to as soon as each 3 weeks, inflicting her appreciable struggling. When IOF surrounded the hospital, Inshira was compelled to go away. Then we misplaced contact with him and his kids. We don't know whether or not she survived or not.
Most chronically sick individuals like Inshirah don’t obtain correct well being care after Israel systematically destroyed Gaza's well being care system. This can be a demise sentence for them. Destroying the well being care system is a warfare crime, do you know that, Mr. President?
Mr. President, 2.3 million individuals are residing in torture camps in Gaza. They’re continually starved and killed. They’re bombed of their properties, on the streets, whereas accumulating water, whereas sleeping of their tents, whereas receiving help, and even whereas cooking. Folks in Gaza inform me that ingesting water causes bleeding, {that a} piece of bread is soaked in blood and that shifting from one place to a different means bleeding.
Even the act of searching for meals to feed your kids can kill you – as occurred to many dad and mom on February 28. Roughly 112 Palestinians had been killed by IAF as they tried to acquire meals for themselves and their households.
Their deaths are painfully actual. For instance, babies like Anas, kids like Aya, moms like Majdoline and aged individuals like Fathia died. There are some greater than 30,000 individuals who have been recorded within the official demise toll; A number of thousand individuals had been killed however are recorded as “lacking”.
About 13,000 of these killed are kids. Many individuals at the moment are dying of starvation. Israel is killing 6 kids an hour. Every of those kids had a reputation, a narrative, and a dream that may by no means come true. Mr. President, do the kids of Gaza not deserve life?
Palestinians are among the many most educated individuals in all the Center East. They’re very curious individuals. At present essentially the most burning query of all of them is, “Why”? Why do the Palestinian individuals should endure genocide by the hands of your ally, along with your weapons and cash, when you refuse to name for a ceasefire? Are you able to inform us why, Mr. President?
The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially mirror the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.