“Hello, I am Abdullah from North Gaza. I am 18 years old. Since we were young, we have suffered a lot because of the endless wars, but the previous wars were nothing compared to the war that still haunts us and kills many of us every day. Since the beginning of the war, we have been displaced from place to place, hoping to find a safe place, but there is no safe place for us to go to. All of Gaza is a landfill for missiles and bullets. My entire home was destroyed a year ago, and I have suffered a lot because of that. But this is not my biggest problem. My father, my cousins, my uncles, and almost all my friends are dead. After God, all I have left are my mother and my sisters, who are my responsibility now. All I wish for is for this whole farce to end, because everything that happens is only for the interests of politicians, and our lives are not cheap for that. Please pray for us.”
~ Abdullah Alashi, 18, North Gaza
Donate to support Abdullah: https://gofund.me/c22e1669
In the last few days, leaders of Britain, France and Germany have urged that the crisis occurring in Gaza must end by allowing humanitarian aid to reach the population. The need for aid to be let in is true, but it cannot be underestimated how late their concern has come. The Chief of the World Health Organisation has clearly stated, “A large proportion of Gaza [is] starving.”
The real impact such late alarm bells have is that the narrative is being shifted once again. It suggests that mass starvation is the red line, but previous assaults may or may not have been justified. Enough evidence has been collected of Gaza’s suffering over the last 21 months to show they needed a proper end to this war and/or ethnic cleansing and/or genocide years ago.
Through this article I would like to centre Abdullah’s story and those of the people of Gaza. Nevertheless, centring the suffering of a people without speaking about the perpetrators causes more harm.
In that vein, then — who is starving Gaza, and what are the systems upholding forced starvation? It is without a shadow of a doubt Israel and the many countries who assist it — whether it is through arms supply or the refusal to hold Israel accountable under international law. (One can, of course, go deeper than this and hold those upholding false narratives accountable too.)
Humanising marginalised peoples is not only acknowledging them and speaking to them, but also confronting those who dehumanise them and understanding the purpose behind that dehumanisation. Their suffering is often the only part of their story that’s deemed acceptable or praiseworthy — but the resistance begins when we seek accountability and speak honestly about the systems that have sustained, or may continue to sustain, that suffering.
Our wish to humanise marginalised people will always fall short without demanding accountability or acknowledging the perpetrators.
The damage in Gaza runs deeper than Abdullah could ever put into words. For Gazans, even the simplest questions — Where are you from? What do you do? — are bound to displacement and survival. For Abdullah and many Gazans their home was targeted – a physical structure of safety. Their social home, family, is often lost in the same instance as their physical one. When can a person in Gaza grieve the loss of their family members, or their home, or the hundreds of other losses experienced?
When you ask Palestinians what they do, it is first and foremost survival. Survival against apartheid, survival against dehumanisation, survival in the face of unanswered calls for help, survival as every aspect of their lives is ripped away by military-grade weapons.
Let’s uphold the voices of marginalised individuals – but let’s do so by confronting systems wherever they may be, however deep they may run, especially when it’s most uncomfortable.
Written by:
Abdullah Alashi
Halima Mohammed
Apropos Representation 