Gaza: Whispers of the Shattered Sky

Chapter: 2

Is Gaza a humanitarian crisis?

According to all assessments, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is rising. Every day since October 7, 2023, turns out to bring only more chaos, bad news, grief, pain, death and suffering to natives of the Gaza Strip. Increasingly dire situations in Gaza are witnessed. The collective punishment of the people of Gaza has shaken and shocked the world at large.

Huge amount of urgent delivery of aid is required to save the lives of the people who are dying from hunger, cold, wounds, diseases, being trapped under rubble because of one after another, ground operations and air strikes.

It won't be wrong to say that what is happening in Gaza is immensely affecting the overall situation in the Middle East, and it is growing dire with every passing hour. Without restrictions allowing aid inside Gaza, an immediate complete ceasefire is what is needed, followed by rebuilding Gaza and a permanent solution to the current conflict.

It is crucial and imperative to adhere to the fundamentals of respecting and protecting civilians and all their rights in Palestine.

Condemnation of Any Terror Attacks

It is necessary to condemn the acts of terror and a*******n of civilians as hostages by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Those hostages taken should be returned to their homes safely and immediately. But alongside, is it not necessary to erase the issue of collective Palestinian suffering and punishment instantly and permanently....

Desperation leads to dark paths, so the respected and sovereign survival of Palestinians can't be dined.

All those civilian prisoners who are locked in Palestinian jails and are convicted falsely must be given justice. The right to start their lives and be with their families safe and sound without any gambling makes sense.

The attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum, every disaster is born out of yet another huge dilemma in the past. Circumstances were fueled and subjected by 56 years of stifling, suffocating occupation. Gaza has been besieged, oppressed and has been subjected to settlements on Palestinian land. There's no justification. There could be none, but the obvious reason can't be denied. Not to forget before this incident, since years and years of oppression of Palestinians, their economy over the years completely collapsed and most of the hopes of a peaceful political solution have been vanishing. This is what is adding to the grievance of the Palestinians having said that, one can't justify the attack of Hamas on October 7.

What is happening as a result of 7 October is much worse. This can not be justified in any way. The lives of the people of Gaza never saw the dawn after that day, only continuity of living hell....

The Devastating Impact of Israel's ongoing airstrikes and ground operation has destroyed everything but the faith, belief, and resilience of people.

The fate of the Palestinian people can't be dispossession, displacement, denial of rights and death of Palestinian people.

Death speaks, The wounds Cry

Gaza has burnt to ashes since the recent conflict. War is a beast which can never be fully tamed, so casualties are happening on a mass scale. Getting out of war is always more difficult than getting in. So many lives on both sides, Israel and Palestine are in danger. Shouldn't the world do anything to stop it?

More than 21,000 people have lost their lives in this ongoing conflict. Mostly, women and children have been the tragic victims of all mercy-less attacks. The urgent stop to this bloodshed is the only way ahead to avoid greater human catastrophe and combating the great risk of this war spreading into a regional spillover.

Instead of discussing and resolving the conflict peacefully, arms and ammunition were chosen. Wiping out Gaza cannot be a solution to any problem for now or in the future. The more destruction there will be in Gaza, the more the world will be unsafe. How?

I will go into its details later in the book.

Right now it is necessary to take in account and know what Palestinian people are actually going through in Gaza.

World From The Eyes of Gaza's Children and Women

Amid Gaza's devastation and soaring death toll, the weather is unfavorable too for the people. The weather in Gaza is ultra chilly. December and January are the coldest months in Gaza. The average temperature in Gaza falls to between 10c to 20c (50f to 68f) in December. In January the temperature falls a bit more degrees. However, the rainy season lasts from November to February and January is mostly the most rainy.

Just imagine in this cold weather how chill is threatening the survival of the people there. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, and most of them do not even have a basic decent shelter or even a tent. Though the people of Gaza have proven to be tough cookies, but it doesn't mean that all the misery in the world should test their courage and zeal. So it all must end without any delay.

Half of the population of the Gaza Strip is under the age of 18. Children are a huge part of the population. Children are facing lack of access to basic food, water, and shelter. The rest of the facilities, such as when schools will be resumed, or playgrounds will be available to kids, even basic healthcare is a remote dream for the people of Gaza. Mental trauma and suffering faced by children of Gaza on a daily basis is unimaginable.

Some of the challenges children of the Gaza Strip are facing include discrimination of all kinds, and children being victims of war. The rest all follows as the consequences of war, destruction and displacement.

Thousands of children are orphaned, thousands have no family member or relative left alive to take care of them. According to media reports, a child is killed in Gaza every 10 minutes...

Pregnant women are undergoing C-sections without any anesthesia. Women and girls have to live in overcrowded shelters with zero basic facilities. No menstrual care or products are available. New moms or moms-to-be are suffering in unimaginable ways due to lack of food, nutrition and every second of their lives facing mental or physical trauma due to the atrocities of war. Open wounds of the mind also hits the pride of a person.

This is the irony of any war or conflict, that women and children pay the highest price for the conflict.

Most of the households in Gaza are headed by females as no man in their family is left alive. The number of widows is increasing. The number of grieving mothers is increasing, the number of mourning wives is passing limits.

Most women have no livelihood provision left, no housing and almost every household lost one, two or more members of their family. Death is known and familiar to all the neighborhoods in Gaza.

Diseases and Medical Complications

Lack of hygiene and sanitation is exposing girls, women and children to high risks of infections and diseases.

More than 180 women in Gaza give birth every day, according to statistics. Just imagine what these women must be facing without any medical assistance, living in overcrowded shelters.

New moms or moms-to-be are at high risk of medical complications. Insufficient food, and no diet provision threaten them, their babies lives, and the lives of their unborn children. Those women who somehow manage to be admitted to hospital to give birth are discharged within three hours or even a little time after giving birth.

Breast-feeding women and pregnant women are at greater risk of malnutrition. Anemia in new moms and breast-feeding moms is on the rise alongside other related diseases.

Beyond Tragic

Don't know how to document this tragedy... that premature babies are suffering way more in this conflict, as there is no power supply to run incubators to keep them alive....

I have heard that even wars have rules!!! Where is the world now, to make sure that those rules are applicable to Gaza? International and humanitarian law must be respected by all parties.

Civilians have to be protected, their essential needs and rights must be delivered and given.

Mental and physical trauma faced by the Palestinians can't be explained in words. No safe access, no relief, no aid, sirens, and airstrikes day and night. The life of the locals has become no less than hell. Even basic one-time meal management or availability has become a challenge for them.

Widespread civilian deaths have led to unimaginable catastrophes.

Almost half of Gaza's homes, which are roughly estimated 222,000 residential units, have been totally or partially destroyed. 40,000 plus have been bulldozed into debris and reduced to rubble. The streets of Gaza are being destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. Schools, mosques, and hospitals are no longer safe.

Who is responsible....Israel alone? Hamas alone? Or both? I leave this for you to decide.

No matter what the case is, civilians are paying the highest price.

At first, Israel declared Gaza South a safe zone. When people started to flee toward the South, one after another m******e happened, and few reached that area safely. The most disturbing part is that even that area is no longer safe now. It is pointless to say be careful as safety lies nowhere for them.