{"id":48630,"date":"2024-07-17T09:13:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=48630"},"modified":"2024-07-17T09:13:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:13:31","slug":"i-am-not-a-terrorist-letters-from-gaza-children-decry-daily-horrors-of-israeli-assault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/17\/i-am-not-a-terrorist-letters-from-gaza-children-decry-daily-horrors-of-israeli-assault\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Am Not a Terrorist’: Letters From Gaza Children Decry Daily Horrors of Israeli Assault"},"content":{"rendered":"

A U.K.-based humanitarian group on Tuesday delivered “heartbreaking” letters from two Palestinian girls \u2013 including one who lost her arm in an Israeli attack \u2013 imploring new Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “intervene and help bring about a permanent cease-fire” in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We write to you with hearts full of sorrow and spirits crushed by the daily suffering inflicted upon us by the brutal war,” wrote 15-year-old Mais Abdel Hadi, president of the youth-led Palestinian Children’s Council, in a letter<\/a> presented to Starmer’s office in London by the charity Christian Aid. Palestinian Children’s Council is a partner of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety, with shells accompanying us around the clock, reaping lives, sparing only those fortunate enough to survive,” said Hadi, whose family is forcibly displaced due to the destruction of their home. “Destruction and devastation surround us on all sides. Our question is: Why must we children pay such a horrendous price?”<\/p>\n

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, an average of 58 children have been killed each day \u2013 approximately 16,000 in total \u2013 since Israel<\/a> launched its retaliatory assault and siege of Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks last October 7.<\/p>\n

The ministry \u2013 whose figures have been deemed reliable<\/a> by Israeli intelligence \u2013 says that Israeli bombs and bullets have wounded more than 34,000 other Palestinian children, and that thousands more are missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of bombed-out homes and other buildings. Over 17,000 other Gazan children are orphaned.<\/p>\n

“We wake up every day to the sound of bombs and rockets, with no safe place to seek refuge,” Hadi stated. “This violent war has taken our homes, schools, families, relatives, friends, and classmates. It has forced us to sleep in poor tents and in the open air, our bodies scorched by the sun during the day and deprived of sleep at night due to constant airstrikes and random shelling.”<\/p>\n

“We need your support and urgent intervention to end this tragedy,” she stressed to the newly-elected prime minister.<\/p>\n

Hadi continued:<\/p>\n

We demand an immediate cease-fire and the establishment of peace because we, the children of Palestine<\/a>, deserve to live in safety and peace. We also urge you to work on rebuilding our schools and hospitals that have been destroyed and to provide the necessary psychological and educational support so we can regain our lives and futures. <\/em><\/p>\n

Stop the death by starvation, the killing by denying medicine, and the destruction of health centers. Bring back life through songs, poems, and music. We are children who hope for a dignified life and do not wish for anyone to suffer. <\/em><\/p>\n

Save our lives, dreams, and rights, and preserve our childhood. We are not just numbers or news in media reports; we are living souls, carrying hope in our hearts, awaiting your swift and effective action.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sixteen-year-old Hala Abu Saleem, one of the thousands of child amputees<\/a> in Gaza, asked: “Will my hand grow back? Or am I condemned to live without an arm?”<\/p>\n

\n

Israeli attacks cause more than 10 children per day lose a limb in Gaza and it has been going on at this rate for months.<\/p>\n

Gaza now has the largest number of child amputees in history. This is a crime against humanity. pic.twitter.com\/OMvQojRCNU<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) June 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n