The air is heavy with the smell of death. It’s inescapable, in every corner, and worse with every body taken out of the ground.
Every time they dig, they find more corpses, sometimes in places they never expect. Sometimes they only find parts of a person, or a corpse decomposed beyond recognition.
According to the Gaza government media office, some bodies were found decapitated, or had their skin and organs removed. Children, elderly women and young men are said to be among the dead.
Rescue workers say they found bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, which the UN human rights office said “indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law”.
Israel denies it buried the Palestinian bodies, claiming instead that it had “respectfully” exhumed the dead searching for Israeli captives.
There are so many tears at Nasser hospital today and so much pain. It’s hard for me to find the words to describe this scene.
The feeling of seeing someone find their relative is indescribable, the way mothers cover their dead sons in a shroud and accompany them to the cemeteries.
Every sight we capture as journalists we do so silently. We can’t speak, we cry blood as we film. Our hands are shaking so much our cameras lose focus. But we start over and try again.
Moatasim Mortaja is a Palestinian video journalist in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Over recent days, he has been documenting mass graves uncovered in Nasser hospital, where more than 300 bodies have been discovered since Israeli forces withdrew. On Monday, his video of a woman in grey holding the recently uncovered body of her son spread across social media. This is his descriptions of the scenes at Nasser hospital.
I know it can feel like clicking once a day isn’t doing anything. I know it can feel like every call and email sent to your reps is falling on deaf ears. I know it can feel like boycotting is pointless when Israel is still getting dozens of billions from the US. I know donating can feel cruel when Palestinians get shot on their way to aid trucks.
But we have to do something. Every video by Bisan and other reporters shows us Palestinians getting food and clothes and something to get them through the day. Every protest is bringing attention to a genocide that so many choose to ignore. During the Holocaust, during every slave revolt, during South Africa’s apartheid that mirrors Israel’s, just voicing support for Jews or for abolition meant something.
Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. If your clicks and reblogging donation links means a little boy gets to smile and celebrate (below), if that’s all you can do right now, it’s always- always- better than nothing.
I'm so immensely proud and inspired by all the student protests currently happening across the country. It truly feels like the tides are turning, but don't let anything distract from what's happening in Palestine
While our government proves they don’t care how many thousands of innocents are k*lled by the world’s most immoral army, little Sarra celebrated her fifth birthday in the dark, with the sound of drones and bombs overhead.
The best thing we can do for Palestinians right now - besides being ungovernable - is to practice mutual aid by supporters Gazan fundraisers. Please, for Sara’s birthday, go to her mum @dr.areej.tuaima’s link in bio and give generously.
Repost from @dr.areej.tuaima:
Today is my daughter’s birthday. Today she is five years old She has spent more than half a year in war, fear, and destruction, and she was the age of starting kindergarten. My daughter deserves life, safety, love, and play. You can support Saraa through the link to reach safety 23/4/2024
people are calling what happened today in gaza “the flour massacre”
the flour massacre
these people just wanted to get food for their families, something as basic as flour, one of the things that the very core of humanity is built on, and israel used it as a trap to murder them in cold blood
evil is not enough of a word. there is not a word to describe what they are doing to palestine. they are bleeding her out, they are torturing her and crushing her and hoping that nothing is left to remember her by when they are done. how can anyone stand and watch what is being done with indifference? how can you watch this level of human suffering, this crime against life and feel nothing, do nothing
I just wanted to share this article about Palestine's right to revolt and why it is important that we support it. It also has sources embedded in the text that debunk misinformation about them and Hamas. I implore everyone to read it and spread this information around.
Edit [12/25/23 3:19 PM GMT+]: I should also emphasize that the article is an opinion piece, so I also encourage you to also do further research to come to your own critical conclusions.
As a whole, the article still explores why Palestinians resist. As someone whose entire history was build on resisting against oppressors (I'm Filipino), I can understand and empathize where they are coming from. This is one way that I wish to express my solidarity.