Posted on Oct 19, 2023
israel-gaza-hamas-children-population-war-palestinians
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/19/ [login to see] /israel-gaza-hamas-children-population-war-palestinians
When Fidaa Al-Araj received the pre-recorded message last week telling her to evacuate her home because the area was about to be bombed, she first thought of her children.
To her surprise, they had actually beaten her to the street.
The day before, an Israeli airstrike had hit her cousin's house, killing his wife, mother and children. Those kids were close to Al-Araj's children in age. They were friends.
"My daughter said to me, 'What are you waiting for?'" Al-Araj recalled. "'Yesterday, we were crying for our cousins. Do you want people to cry over our dead bodies today?' So I had to leave."
The family left their home in Gaza City and started a days-long journey to Rafah, in southern Gaza, where NPR reached her by phone this week. Al-Araj, 39, is a mother of five, aged 13, 12, 10, 8 and 2.
When Fidaa Al-Araj received the pre-recorded message last week telling her to evacuate her home because the area was about to be bombed, she first thought of her children.
To her surprise, they had actually beaten her to the street.
The day before, an Israeli airstrike had hit her cousin's house, killing his wife, mother and children. Those kids were close to Al-Araj's children in age. They were friends.
"My daughter said to me, 'What are you waiting for?'" Al-Araj recalled. "'Yesterday, we were crying for our cousins. Do you want people to cry over our dead bodies today?' So I had to leave."
The family left their home in Gaza City and started a days-long journey to Rafah, in southern Gaza, where NPR reached her by phone this week. Al-Araj, 39, is a mother of five, aged 13, 12, 10, 8 and 2.
israel-gaza-hamas-children-population-war-palestinians
Posted from npr.org
Children
Palestine
Israel
Posted 6 mo ago
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this is what happens when you elect terrorists to be your political leaders
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The sad consequences of who you elect. The elected have/had no regard for their future generations
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."They know how to laugh. They know how to make jokes. They know how to enjoy life," she said. "We cannot fail them by telling them, 'OK, we're going to go put things back to the status quo until the next war.' That's not an option."
And she believes the children of Gaza deserve the chance to heal.
"They still have dreams, they still have hopes, they still have aspirations," she said. "And I think that with the right support mechanisms in place, we can help them deal and sort through this trauma and help them."
..."They know how to laugh. They know how to make jokes. They know how to enjoy life," she said. "We cannot fail them by telling them, 'OK, we're going to go put things back to the status quo until the next war.' That's not an option."
And she believes the children of Gaza deserve the chance to heal.
"They still have dreams, they still have hopes, they still have aspirations," she said. "And I think that with the right support mechanisms in place, we can help them deal and sort through this trauma and help them."
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