Prompt : What is the most helpful post/hashtag you read about the recent attacks on Gaza? (Prompt slightly modified!)
In early July, while casually browsing through Twitter I came across the Twitter hashtag #Gazaunderattack. Since I was out of touch with International news, I didn’t know the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had escalated. Treading through the hashtag made me aware of the growing number of civilian casualties especially young children.
Four boys who were playing football on the beach, killed by fighter shells.
A father who couldn’t have children for 24 years lost his child in the attacks.
A sister lost her dear younger brother.
A fiance never lived until his wedding date.
20 members of an entire family wiped away.
An orphan forever.
The stories coming out from Gaza was literally heartbreaking and numb. The shattering feeling of helplessness. What did those innocent children do to deserve such a fate?
Years from today, when our future generation reads in History books, will they wonder why and how could the humans of today ever allow such a large catastrophe and massacre right in front of their eyes? By being silent spectators, are we being on the wrong side of history?
Reading the tweets from the young Palestinian children was eye-opening. Rarely do international media give coverage to the innocent civilians of Gaza. This war showed us the power of social media by giving us the coverage of the same war from different angles. A different perspective. A different narrative. Every child,teenager or adult who had a social media account was a civilian journalist showing the world by way of their tweets, blogs and updates, the inhuman nature of this war.
The keyboard doesnot have blockade or checkpoints. The keyboard gives these children the power to voice the narrative of the atrocities that happen in front of their eyes through their own words, which the international media so blissfully ignore !!
I look forward to surviving. If I don't, remember that I wasn't Hamas or a militant, nor was I used as a human shield. I was at home.
— Mohammed Suliman (@IbnSulaimann) July 20, 2014
Some were just tweeting and posting on Facebook about other people's death like I'm doing. Now people are tweeting about their death.
— Mohammed Suliman (@IbnSulaimann) July 20, 2014
Yesterday, I went to Gaza's graveyard to visit my grandma's grave. I didn't find it. It was hit by a missile. I saw my grandma's bones.
— Mohammed Suliman (@IbnSulaimann) August 14, 2014
My dreams turned from travelling to Spain and learning guitar to staying alive! #GazaUnderAttack
— Farah Baker (@Farah_Gazan) August 24, 2014
At times of war, being a doctor is all about 2 things:
The will to sacrifice,
The power to keep it all together.— Belal Aldabbour (@Belalmd12) July 31, 2014
I'm 16 years old and have survived three wars and Intifada! I am lucky and I don't want to live through a fourth war #Gaza
— Farah Baker (@Farah_Gazan) August 26, 2014
http://twitter.com/Farah_Gazan/status/493878477968642048/photo/1
This is in my area. I can't stop crying. I might die tonight #Gaza #GazaUnderAttack #ICC4Israel #AJAGAZA pic.twitter.com/DdDBIO7Q4B
— Farah Baker (@Farah_Gazan) July 28, 2014
What is sad is – those innocent victims of war (all wars) can tweet all they can but I don’t think, in the long run, that it will matter. What kind of species are we? Truly evil people tweet too, and make social media work to their advantage.
The senselessness of it all! How do we talk of our world progressing while war and death are such present realities for millions of children?