Editor’s note: As the Israel-Hamas war is ongoing, information is constantly changing. Information in this article may be subject to inaccuracy as the situation changes overtime.
TRIGGER WARNING: This article mentions the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. Read at your own discretion.
On Oct. 7, 2023, news spread that Hamas attacked and killed innocent people in Israel. At least 199 people, including U.S citizens, are currently being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.
Some Israelis taken captive were even peace activists, showing Hamas didn’t care who the people were when they took them, even if they supported Palestinian rights.
Since the initial attack, Israel has bombarded Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated area with more than 2 million Palestinians living there, half of them children. At least 1,900 Palestinians have died from them already, and 1,400 people have died in Israel so far.
The horrifying conflict, while limited geographically to that area at least currently, has caused deep-seated racism everywhere. Rather than understanding it as a humanitarian crisis–one in which we should only worry about humans–people have taken sides, hating either Jewish or Arab people. However, this reinforces conflict amongst all people and could lead to even more violence, possibly becoming the next deadly pandemic.
We need to stop seeing “sides” and stand up for humanity.
For full transparency, I am Jewish. This conflict deeply affects me and millions of people worldwide, striking fear, sadness, and grief in our hearts. Both sides are my people, and nobody deserves to have their life taken away from them, Jewish or Palestinian.
Israel ordered a complete stop of food, water, fuel and medicine into the Gaza Strip, creating a humanitarian crisis for the people living there. Although Israel has warned 1.1 million civilians to leave Gaza, they have nowhere to go.
“Moving more than one million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous – and in some cases, simply not possible,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guerres said in a media stakeout.
Since then, many people have criticized the Israeli government, leading to worldwide antisemitism, with people pointing the blame at random Jewish people who have nothing to do with the situation. This only causes more divide, and more conflict. No one wants to join together and condemn the horrible atrocities happening in Gaza. Instead, they pick sides.
Israel says they’re only targeting locations associated with Hamas, focusing on destroying their military capabilities, but humanitarian workers in Gaza say civilians are being harmed the most as the death toll in Gaza rises.
Israeli officials said they will not lift the siege until the hostages taken captive during the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 are freed.
Hospitals will soon run out of electricity and medical supplies in Gaza—most have already. Palestinians worry they will starve to death or be killed in rocket attacks.
This entire war has caused worldwide debates, war propaganda, and false information to spread. Antisemitic, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab views have skyrocketed following the tension in the Middle East.
We’ve seen this before, the hatred of Jews and Arabs. Nothing excuses antisemitism or anti-Arab racism. It’s completely wrong to equate all Palestinians with terrorism, or blame all Jews for the Israeli government’s actions. You can be Pro-Israel or Pro-Palestine, but none of your activism should dismiss the humanitarian crisis currently brewing in the region of Israel and Palestine.
Many people struggle knowing what to do to stop this possible pandemic, even if they want to help. I recommend donating to people affected by this war. Doctors without Borders provides medical, humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need help. They care for people affected by natural and human-made disasters, currently operating in Gaza and some parts of Israel with high casualty areas. You can donate here.
IsraAID is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and the organization currently focuses on helping support Israelis and Palestinians affected by the war. You can donate here.
Jews and Palestinians worldwide are currently grieving the loss of their families, friends and people. Arguing about our rights and ignoring the situation isn’t going to make us feel any better.
What we need is support, and for people to stop taking sides and fight for all humanity.
