"Our new camp in Rafah, after our third displacement, is located in a graveyard near the Egyptian border. Each day the tents of new arrivals – of those forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks – creep closer to the graves.

After every Israeli massacre, both graveyard and camp expand, crawling toward the outer edges of the desert.

We’ve been here since December 2023. Nine of us share a tent that is 16 square meters.

We are in the desert, but sometimes it does not feel that way because of the density and the near-constant sounds of Israeli explosions and drones.

There are so many people in the camp, all of us in tents that do not protect from heat or cold.

Winds sometimes uproot tents. There are stray dogs everywhere. Every day we line up for drinking water. Sometimes the water runs out and we return to our tents empty-handed.

My family’s tent is in the middle of the camp. Next door is a medical point that supports those who have been displaced here.

I’ve seen doctors stitch up children’s wounds with care. Often there is no local anesthesia, so the doctors compensate with extra warmth and smiles. An elderly woman came to the tent for treatment for a chronic condition. They treated her with kindness. They did not have much medicine for her.

Since medical supplies are scarce, the doctors use what they have on hand.

We are being annihilated. We are running out of options. The north and south are separated, and communication is cut off. I used to hope that I would see friends and family in the north again, but now I just don’t know.

After this war ends, where will we go? Israel has destroyed our homes, and our favorite places no longer exist."

22 April 24

Messages left by those who were besieged by the IOF inside Al-Shifa Hospital...

A Palestinian survivor, who endured Isr@eli occupation attacks near al-Shifa Hospital, recounts the horrifying scenes, stating that they witnessed Isr@eli forces conducting field executions before being forced to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.

The IOF raped women at Al-Shifa Hospital. The name of the witness who came forward is Jamila al-Hissi.

A name alone is more than the genocidal occupation have been able to give anyone on the supposed sexual violence that they have been weaponizing to paint the resistance as brutes for six months. The one their American friends used to say "If you don't support our genocide, you hate women and support rape".

This will cause no change in their thinking because to be a woman suffering from rape you must first be a person, and they have never seen Palestinians as people.

i’ve been trying to stay off social media in general but honestly nothing has radicalized me like this has. i think about it constantly. i’ve never been on the verge of tears almost constantly because of anything in the news before

the false claims ppl make about me are so off that they’re honestly funny ngl

Happy Independence Day to my beloved Algeria.

Allah yarham chouhada.

Translation of the testimony of a man who lived through that day as a child.

“July 5th 1962: The independence of Algeria. What can I say: the joy in the streets, people colonized for 132 years gaining back their freedom… I was a kid of the Casbah, I was 12 back then. The moment was crazy and filled with euphoria. The French of Algeria (colonizers) had started to leave in May and they were leaving faster now. For them it was “A coffin or a suitcase”(1). They didn’t see it any other way. Bab El Oued, Michelet street and Isly street(2) were emptied of their residents. During the last days, they were panicking. The “yes” had gotten 99,72% to the referendum of July 1st, the first loyal voting process in 132 years(3).

For at least 10 days, Algiers wasn’t a city anymore but an endless party. Women were not talking anymore we only heard their zagharit(4) all day long. Children were children again. The older ones too. There was a sort of happy anarchy. It was a permanent happiness, an event I will never forget even if I was to lose my mind. After the constant persecutions, the constant fear and nightmares, it was like a divine revelation and a new birth.

They (the French colonizers) called us Muslims, Arabs, savages(5) but never Algerians. The Arabs who were barbaric, lazy and filled with excessive pride. The contempt from the Europeans and the humiliations made the Algerian into a bad guy, a rebel, a revolutionary filled with the desire for freedom and justice.

Being able to live without that fear, imagining that we were able to move freely, screaming our joy without having to justify ourselves it was something unheard of, it was almost unbelievable. They forbade us to be Algerians, strangers in our own land, us the b****, t**** d* f******, r*****, c********, s*****, b*********, (6) subhumans, on that day everything was allowed everything seemed possible.”

[…]

“The biggest joy was the return of my two brothers. They came back home alive and safe, in a free country after having be jailed in Serkadji and condemned to the death penalty.

During their absence, weapons and money was hidden under my parents’ bed. I always had a gun hidden in my school bag.

[…]

With armed friends we went in the European neighborhood, on the cars’ hoods, screaming happily “Tahia El Djazair” (long live to Algeria).

I actually hurt myself falling from a truck in Lyre street. July 5th 1962 will stay for me an unforgettable party. The historical festive atmosphere, cemented in my memory. Even with my mouth filled with blood and two broken tooth.”

Notes:

1: There a myth that the colonizers were threatened. There was some well deserved threats toward the ones who fought against the independence. The other ones were allowed to stay ONLY if they took the Algerian citizenship and considered Algerians as their equals. But they refused and left. They saw staying in Algeria with indigenous Algerians being equal to them as death.

2: The places named here were famous for having a very important population of colonizers. And like all colonizers they were very violent.

3: At the end of the war and to try to calm down the French colonizers a referendum for the independence of Algeria was organized. It was the first and only time all Algerians (actual Algerians) were allowed to vote and their vote were equal to white people’s vote.

4: He uses the word “Indigenes” which means indigenous or native but the French didn’t use it as a way to acknowledge we were indigenous to the land unlike them they used it a synonym for savage so that’s how I’m translating it.

5: zagharit are happy ululation we make during moments of happiness and joy (talking for Algeria specifically other SWANA countries do it for other reasons too).

6: Those are all anti Algerian slurs… when I say that France hates us. Who the fuck has that many slurs for ONE group of people only?! And they are not all on the list…

I donated money to some Palestinian medical aid organizations but now I don't even know if it's going to go anywhere. Surely they will be using the money for some kind of help no matter what but what if Israel bombs the aid again and there's just nowhere for medical help? I wish I was back home because at least there I could be able to join a protest but there's nothing going on here. It feels like even if everyone in America wanted to free Palestine the government would still go through with everything. But I can't give up either

"The language of the children is replete with the effects of colonization, as also apparent in Lila’s narration: You see, I live suffocation, but I tell myself, 'No Lila, you are not suffocated. You are breathing. Others have lost even their ability to breathe.' I have to live with burned legs and a broken heart – a severe burn in my body and ghassa [anguish] in my heart. But I’m the twelve-and-a-half-year-old big sister, and I must show the younger ones how strong I am. I have to act like all is well, thank God, and that everything will be OK. But when I go to sleep I remember my loss, I remember my pain. I remember the lies I tell my sisters, that the world is aware of Israel’s crimes, that the world can see their crimes, that the world will find a way to save us because we are children, and have rights. Alia, Lila’s fourteen-year-old cousin, confirmed Lila’s perspective when she spoke to me: See, there are children in this world who have rights, and other children who beg for their rights. Lila with her two burned legs, and the many other injured and dead children who go unacknowledged, they are calling for the world’s attention. Gaza’s children are beggars; they have to beg for their rights. We might get some of those rights if we keep begging, screaming, dying, getting injured, losing family, losing hope. It is truly ghassa. While the testimonies these children and young adults offer are eloquent, we might note that their words reveal a different childhood experience, one in which they have become wizened and embittered beyond their years because of their experiences. In the aftermath of continual war, the bodily and psychic trauma and the political theatre of violence perpetually looms over the physical, social, and psychological dimensions of Palestinian life – as Lila so expressively explains. Palestinian children such as Lila and Alia, with their burned legs and pervasive suffering, give evidence of being stripped of their rights as children. They also give evidence of a regime that turns childhood into a space of collective punishment and that transforms children’s bodies and lives into laboratories of a 'combat-proven' weapons industry."

Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Incarcerated Childhood and the Politics of Unchilding (2019)

March 30. Video diaries by Bayan Abusultan in Al-Shifa Hospital: "Israeli forces invaded Alshifa hospital and its neighboring areas on March 18 causing nothing but death and destruction.

I live a block away from the hospital so I tried to document as much as possible before we - My family and neighbors- decided yesterday to run away from our wiped out neighborhood as tanks and warplanes were targeting us on the way.

I pray that once their invasion is over I will go back and find my house standing still, I’m not very optimistic though.

I lived to document and share these past two weeks with the world in hopes that it can make a deference.

Please take a minute to honor all those who lost their lives during israel’s brutal non-stop aggression on the Gaza Strip.

📍Alshifa hospital area, Gaza City, Palestine.

March 2024."

Violence against Palestinian Women

I can't stop thinking about the news out of Palestine. Israel is sieging al Shifa hospital. Videos of people's limbs being severed off are haunting (graphic video tw). The hospital has ran out of fuel and 39 babies in incubators are fending for their lives by themselves, because Israel has stationed snipers around the hospital and is shooting all medical crew that walks into their sight.

First, the narrative was Israel would never bomb hospitals. Now, the hospitals are Hamas bases. Then, we respect journalists. Now, we have a fucking kill list of journalists because they are Hamas collaborators. First, we are not letting fuel in until the hostages are released. Now, we are not accepting the hostages back because that would stop our ground invasion and let Hamas win. And I could go on about every single lie they're making up. If you look up "Hamas rape" on google, the first link leads to Times of Israel saying Israel has found no forensic evidence of sexual violence, and only one eyewitness testimony out of 3.5k people attending the rave. If you Google "Hamas beheaded babies" the top links say they have no evidence for the claim besides word of mouth from extremist soldiers. Israeli extremists think about the ugliest goriest scene they can make out in their sick heads, tell that to a international journalist and they run away with it like it's gospel.

And children are being killed in the name of these lies. Thousands are being displaced in images that remind me of the pictures of Tantura 75 years ago, with their hands up so the tanks don't shoot them. Amputees are leaving the hospitals in wheelchairs hours after their surgeries because they are being shot at. Elders who survived the Nakba on 48 are having to walk towards Southern Gaza on foot (imagine walking from one end of your city to the other on foot), displaced again. People are cheering for the haunting images of white phosphorus bombs being dropped over Gaza. Gazan workers who were arrested in the West Bank are being thrust back into the bombings wearing numbered labels.

This is not normal. We are seeing the early stages of the settler colonial genocide of an indigenous population. Native leaders who have visited Gaza say its refugee camps look eerily like reservations. We can stop this. For the first time we are able to see wide scale accounts from the hands of the people suffering the genocide, and Israel is so scared of it they have cut all communications in Gaza.

This is our litmus test. I think we have never seen more clearly, with Palestine, Armenia, Congo and Sudan how colonialism has made our world a rotten place to live in.

The South African apartheid collapsed due to boycotts. We have to do everything in our power to stop Israel's hegemony. Even talking to a group of friends about Palestine changes the status quo. There's no world where we can live peacefully if Israel accomplishes their goals.

Keep yourself updated and share Palestinian voices. Muna El-Kurd said every tweet is like a treasure to them, because their voices are repressed on social media and even on this very app. Make it your action item to share something about the Palestinian plight everyday. Here are some resources:

Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency, Mondoweiss

Boycott Divest Sanction Movement

Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing protests and direct action against weapons factories across the US

Mohammed El-Kurd (twitter / instagram)

Muhammad Shehada (twitter)

Motaz Azaiza (instagram) - reporting directly from Gaza.

Hind Khudary - reporting directly from Gaza. Her husband and daughter moved South to run from the tanks but she stayed behind to record the genocide. The least we can do is not let her calls fall on deaf ears.

You can participate in boycotts wherever you are in the world, through BDS guidelines. Don't be overwhelmed by gigantic boycott lists. BDS explicitly targets only a few brands which have bigger impact. You can stop consuming from as many brands as you want, though, and by all means feel free to give a 1 star review to McDonalds, Papa John, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks. Right now, they are focusing on boycotting the following:

Carrefour, HP, Puma, Sabra, Sodastream, Ahava cosmetics, Israeli fruits and vegetables

Push for a cultural boycott - pressure your favorite artist to speak out on Palestine and cancel any upcoming performances on occupied territory (Lorde cancelled her gig in Israel because of this. It works.)

If you can, participate in direct action or donate.

Palestine Action works to shut down Israeli weapons factories in the UK and USA, and have successfully shut down one of their firms in London.Some of the activists are going on trial and are calling for mobilizing on court.

Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing direct actions to stop the shipping of wars to Israel. Follow them.

Educate yourself. Read into Palestinian history and the occupation. You can't common sense people out of decades of propaganda. If your arguments crumble when a zionist brings up the "disengagement of Gaza", you have to learn more.

Read Decolonize Palestine. They have 15 minute reads that concisely explain the occupation (and its colonial roots) and debunk popular myths, including pinkwashing.

Read on Palestine. Here's an amazing masterpost.

Verso Book Club is giving out free books on Palestine (I personally downloaded Ten Myths about Israel by Ilan Pappe. If you still believe in the two states solution, this book by an Israeli professor debunks it).

Call your representatives. The Labour Party in the UK had an emergency meeting after several councilors threatened to resign if they didn't condemn Israeli war crimes. Calling to show your complaints works, even more if you live in a country that funds genocide.

FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA: USCPR has developed this toolkit for calls, here's a document that autosends emails to your representatives and here's a toolkit by Ceasefire in Gaza NOW!

FOR PEOPLE IN EUROPE: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace targeting the European Parliament and one specific for almost all countries in Europe, including Germany, Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Greece, Norway, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Austria, Belgium Romania and Ukraine

FOR PEOPLE IN THE UK: Friends of Al-Aqsa UK and Palestine Solidarity UK have made toolkits for calls and emails

FOR PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA: Here's a toolkit by Stand With Palestine

FOR PEOPLE IN CANADA: Here's a toolkit by Indepent Jewish Voices for Canada

Join a protest. Here's a constantly updating list of protests:

Global calendar

Another global calendar (go to the instragram of the organizers to confirm your protest)

USA calendar

Australia calendar

Feel free to add more.

seeing some people here trivializing and even making fun of Israelis and. can we not do that

X

As Gaza is facing THE LONGEST EVER blackout of communication and internet access, eSIMs are the ONLY way for Palestinians to stay connected to each other and the outside world. The group of volunteers behind the Connecting Gaza initiative are prioritising and making sure doctors, other medical staff and journalists stay connected. Your eSIM donations literally save lives.

Buy Nomad and/or Holafly eSIMs and send QR code screenshot to

[email protected]

Check the Connecting Gaza website, Mirna_elhelbawi 's social media and the connectgaza instagram for more information and updates. You can also check the impact your donations have through testimonies on those accounts.

*IMPORTANT* keep an eye on mirna_elhelbawi and connectgaza social media since other eSIMs donations (Airalo, Mogo, Simly) may also be needed depending on the location they are most needed at a specific moment. Different eSIMs have better connectivity in certain areas. This might also change with time as the conditions in Gaza are very unstable.

Here's how to donate a nomad eSIM

Get $3 off with code BREN79PP

You can see when the eSIM you bought has been activated and is being used.

If you can, please donate an eSIM.

Please share, reblog and retweet.

As many groups are aware, Canada has not had an inclusive history of granting status to testifiers. Borrows draws attention to one example, a British Columbia Evidence Act not repealed until 1968: “This Act permitted a judge to receive evidence from an Aboriginal person only as a matter of discretion, as it was implicitly assumed that otherwise such a person’s testimony would be suspect and unreliable” (Borrows 2001, 24). Excerpt from Our Faithfulness to the Past by Sue Campbell

Common British Columbia L

Outright blocking anyone who shares pro-Israel content and I see it on my dash. Go fuck yourself.