Palestinian children bloodied by Israeli air strikes wait for treatment in Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
In the Name of Children in Gaza, We Must Denounce US Complicity in Israeli War Crimes
Rather than demand an immediate ceasefire as Israeli forces destroy Palestinian civilian life in Gaza, the Biden administration is actively working to further provide cover for Israeli forces.
Last week, as Israel plunged Gaza into darkness by cutting off food, water, electricity, fuel, medical supplies and more amid nonstop Israeli air strikes and shelling, my colleague Mohammad Abu Rukbeh, senior Gaza field researcher at Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP), wrote and shared with us an account of his day.
There was one scene that hasn’t left my mind since.
As Mohammad took his wife and four young children from place to place, seeking somewhere safe, Palestinian civil defense teams were recovering a woman’s body—in pieces—from the rubble of a building on the street they walked along.
Despite Mohammad’s attempts to shield this horrific scene from his children’s eyes, they saw, and they screamed. His 10-year-old son, Karam, was completely frozen, unable to walk.
Knowing they must continue moving in search of somewhere safe, Mohammad picked up Karam and carried him.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
Unwavering US support
To say that the world has failed Palestinian children is a colossal understatement.
Most of the world’s leaders, led by the United States and the European Union, have allowed and enabled Israeli forces to kill, injure, torture, and detain Palestinian children with complete impunity for decades.
Palestinian children in Gaza have lived 16 years under Israeli siege, where children with cancer must obtain a permit to seek medical care outside of Gaza and where Israel controls every item—and person—that enters and leaves.This is the reality in Gaza that the West has allowed Israeli authorities to enact.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds
And then, of course, there are the bombs.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds.
The Israeli air strikes, shells and white phosphorus have practically been invited by US President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly expressed the US’s “unwavering” support for the state of Israel, indicating that the Biden administration would back whatever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military do next.
Rather than demand an immediate ceasefire as Israeli forces destroy Palestinian civilian life in Gaza, the Biden administration is actively working to further provide cover for Israeli forces by discouraging US diplomats from publicly saying the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
Second Nakba
At DCIP, we are sounding the alarm for genocide: Israeli forces and authorities have made their intentions clear to carry out a second Nakba and completely eradicate the Palestinian people.
They are bombing whole city blocks, wiping entire families from the civil register, and cutting off electricity, fuel, and water from hospitals providing lifesaving care.
Under international law, genocide is prohibited and constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group, in whole or in part.
Genocide can result from killing or by creating conditions of life that are so unbearable it brings about the group’s destruction.
There are already over 1,000 Palestinian children in Gaza killed during this Israeli military offensive. In barely more than a week, Israeli forces have obliterated twice as many children as in 2014, when they killed at least 535 Palestinian children over 50 days.
Countless more are injured and missing, and surely there are even more children and their families under the rubble whose names we may never know.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
But even their parents cannot keep them safe, try as they might to shield their children from the carnage. Instead, all they can do is pick them up—and try to stay alive.
No matter what Israeli forces do next, Palestinian children have already paid the price and the US and the international community are complicit in Israel’s campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Last week, as Israel plunged Gaza into darkness by cutting off food, water, electricity, fuel, medical supplies and more amid nonstop Israeli air strikes and shelling, my colleague Mohammad Abu Rukbeh, senior Gaza field researcher at Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP), wrote and shared with us an account of his day.
There was one scene that hasn’t left my mind since.
As Mohammad took his wife and four young children from place to place, seeking somewhere safe, Palestinian civil defense teams were recovering a woman’s body—in pieces—from the rubble of a building on the street they walked along.
Despite Mohammad’s attempts to shield this horrific scene from his children’s eyes, they saw, and they screamed. His 10-year-old son, Karam, was completely frozen, unable to walk.
Knowing they must continue moving in search of somewhere safe, Mohammad picked up Karam and carried him.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
Unwavering US support
To say that the world has failed Palestinian children is a colossal understatement.
Most of the world’s leaders, led by the United States and the European Union, have allowed and enabled Israeli forces to kill, injure, torture, and detain Palestinian children with complete impunity for decades.
Palestinian children in Gaza have lived 16 years under Israeli siege, where children with cancer must obtain a permit to seek medical care outside of Gaza and where Israel controls every item—and person—that enters and leaves.This is the reality in Gaza that the West has allowed Israeli authorities to enact.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds
And then, of course, there are the bombs.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds.
The Israeli air strikes, shells and white phosphorus have practically been invited by US President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly expressed the US’s “unwavering” support for the state of Israel, indicating that the Biden administration would back whatever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military do next.
Rather than demand an immediate ceasefire as Israeli forces destroy Palestinian civilian life in Gaza, the Biden administration is actively working to further provide cover for Israeli forces by discouraging US diplomats from publicly saying the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
Second Nakba
At DCIP, we are sounding the alarm for genocide: Israeli forces and authorities have made their intentions clear to carry out a second Nakba and completely eradicate the Palestinian people.
They are bombing whole city blocks, wiping entire families from the civil register, and cutting off electricity, fuel, and water from hospitals providing lifesaving care.
Under international law, genocide is prohibited and constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group, in whole or in part.
Genocide can result from killing or by creating conditions of life that are so unbearable it brings about the group’s destruction.
There are already over 1,000 Palestinian children in Gaza killed during this Israeli military offensive. In barely more than a week, Israeli forces have obliterated twice as many children as in 2014, when they killed at least 535 Palestinian children over 50 days.
Countless more are injured and missing, and surely there are even more children and their families under the rubble whose names we may never know.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
But even their parents cannot keep them safe, try as they might to shield their children from the carnage. Instead, all they can do is pick them up—and try to stay alive.
No matter what Israeli forces do next, Palestinian children have already paid the price and the US and the international community are complicit in Israel’s campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
- Why One-Sided US Condemnation of Hamas Is Morally Tone-Deaf, Self-Absolving, and Counterproductive ›
- 'We Must Prevent Mass Atrocities and End This': US Jewish Group Calls on Congress to Halt Gaza Carnage ›
- None ›
- Opinion | The US Is Slamming the Door on Children From Gaza; I Saw Their Faces | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | In Golden Houses, Overlooking Gaza | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | What the Children of Gaza Might Say to the Children of America | Common Dreams ›
Last week, as Israel plunged Gaza into darkness by cutting off food, water, electricity, fuel, medical supplies and more amid nonstop Israeli air strikes and shelling, my colleague Mohammad Abu Rukbeh, senior Gaza field researcher at Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP), wrote and shared with us an account of his day.
There was one scene that hasn’t left my mind since.
As Mohammad took his wife and four young children from place to place, seeking somewhere safe, Palestinian civil defense teams were recovering a woman’s body—in pieces—from the rubble of a building on the street they walked along.
Despite Mohammad’s attempts to shield this horrific scene from his children’s eyes, they saw, and they screamed. His 10-year-old son, Karam, was completely frozen, unable to walk.
Knowing they must continue moving in search of somewhere safe, Mohammad picked up Karam and carried him.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
Unwavering US support
To say that the world has failed Palestinian children is a colossal understatement.
Most of the world’s leaders, led by the United States and the European Union, have allowed and enabled Israeli forces to kill, injure, torture, and detain Palestinian children with complete impunity for decades.
Palestinian children in Gaza have lived 16 years under Israeli siege, where children with cancer must obtain a permit to seek medical care outside of Gaza and where Israel controls every item—and person—that enters and leaves.This is the reality in Gaza that the West has allowed Israeli authorities to enact.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds
And then, of course, there are the bombs.
In less than a week, Israeli forces have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, or about one every 30 seconds.
The Israeli air strikes, shells and white phosphorus have practically been invited by US President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly expressed the US’s “unwavering” support for the state of Israel, indicating that the Biden administration would back whatever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military do next.
Rather than demand an immediate ceasefire as Israeli forces destroy Palestinian civilian life in Gaza, the Biden administration is actively working to further provide cover for Israeli forces by discouraging US diplomats from publicly saying the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
Second Nakba
At DCIP, we are sounding the alarm for genocide: Israeli forces and authorities have made their intentions clear to carry out a second Nakba and completely eradicate the Palestinian people.
They are bombing whole city blocks, wiping entire families from the civil register, and cutting off electricity, fuel, and water from hospitals providing lifesaving care.
Under international law, genocide is prohibited and constitutes the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group, in whole or in part.
Genocide can result from killing or by creating conditions of life that are so unbearable it brings about the group’s destruction.
There are already over 1,000 Palestinian children in Gaza killed during this Israeli military offensive. In barely more than a week, Israeli forces have obliterated twice as many children as in 2014, when they killed at least 535 Palestinian children over 50 days.
Countless more are injured and missing, and surely there are even more children and their families under the rubble whose names we may never know.
The Palestinian children who have, so far, survived Israel’s latest brutal assault on Palestinians in Gaza have left their homes, searching for somewhere not in ruins to wait out the bombs.
But even their parents cannot keep them safe, try as they might to shield their children from the carnage. Instead, all they can do is pick them up—and try to stay alive.
No matter what Israeli forces do next, Palestinian children have already paid the price and the US and the international community are complicit in Israel’s campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
- Why One-Sided US Condemnation of Hamas Is Morally Tone-Deaf, Self-Absolving, and Counterproductive ›
- 'We Must Prevent Mass Atrocities and End This': US Jewish Group Calls on Congress to Halt Gaza Carnage ›
- None ›
- Opinion | The US Is Slamming the Door on Children From Gaza; I Saw Their Faces | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | In Golden Houses, Overlooking Gaza | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | What the Children of Gaza Might Say to the Children of America | Common Dreams ›