Women of Gaza
More than 16000 women and children are killed during the harsh conflict between Palestine and Israel and more than 7000 are reportedly missing. It is so frustrating to find that the main target of the attacks have been women and children, those who are known as being in need of the most care and support. 70 percent of all those who were killed are women and children. Considering the huge number of young children killed, it is agonizing to see that women are enduring the biggest pain. Having carried their children for nine months before the birth, raising them in a less than perfect situation, and putting them back in the ground, and so young.
What is the reason for these children being killed? Some call it miscalculation and others contend that Israel was targeting Hamas, but Israel has gone through other means to reach the target. According to Israel, Hamas is seeking refuge underneath the hospitals and other public places, so they cannot be blamed for bombing the hospitals, hence taking more lives, and 7 in 10 of those innocent people were women, young girls, or small children. They again claim that schools, shelters, and other places where the lives of women and children were to be spared from the war were targeted because somewhere in the approximate range of those places would lead to Hamas tunnels. The schools turn into graveyards, holding in their hearts the ones who were to hold the future of a nation in their small hands. Miscalculation is not an acceptable excuse, there could not be so many miscalculations in one war. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or Mossad are perfectly capable of tracking Hamas and their leaders without leaving human casualties along the path. Some argue that Hamas is using human shields. This is not acceptable for this is not a one on one battle in which a few people are used as human shields, definitely not children who need to hold their mother’s hand to be able to walk.
Nothing justifies handing the dead body of a child to their mother, not the human shield theory, and most certainly not the miscalculation agenda. Freemuslim strongly condemns war and violence. We believe that reaching any end is worth involving so many women, young girls, and small children, let alone ending their lives. We urge neighboring countries to stand firm to demand permanent ceasefire, seek restorative justice and hold all perpetrators of violence accountable, regardless of what side of conflict they stand.