it is about Gaza’s children’s blood . ‘My father’s blood is not more precious than the blood of the children of Gaza.’ This powerful sentence has been circulating in Israel’s media in recent weeks. This is what Abed Al-Salam Haniyeh said about his father Mohammed Abu Nasser, a Palestinian police officer who was killed by an Israeli in Jerusalem in the 1970s. Haniyeh, father of the Hamas prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, was killed several months ago by an Israeli missile. But his words, spoken decades earlier, sound no less urgent today. The words of a grieving parent who hoped for a more just and peaceful future. Gaza’s children’s blood

Background of the Story

 For over 70 years, the Gaza strip has been a source of anxiety for the international community. A longstanding and multifaceted history of territorial disputes, political power struggles and collective historical grievances, the violence has brought with it widespread human suffering. With vast numbers per square kilometre, much has been written of Gaza as one of the most densely populated places in the sheer number of people has made the recurring cycles of violence that much more destruction.

 Abed Al-Salam Haniyeh’s words ring true because Gaza is plunged yet again into the hell of destructive conflict. In the last few months, Palestinians living there have suffered further shellings with hundreds killed, buildings destroyed, infrastructure damaged, and a humanitarian crisis growing daily. With heavy restrictions on families’ movements and limited access to water, electricity and medicines, Gaza’s people live in fear of being blown up or finding themselves caught up in crossfire. Children’s development is compromised by fear and trauma if they survive at all.

The Human Cost

 The humanitarian price is enormous. Thousands of civilians have died; many more have been injured. A large number of children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. A large number of homes and schools lie in ruins, disrupting the family life of tens of thousands of people. Many thousands live in tents and other temporary shelters, under harsh living conditions.

 In the above words, Abed Al-Salam Haniyeh, son of Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Ahmad Abu Salameh, makes the universality of their suffering evident, both his father’s and Gaza’s. When he says that the blood of his father and the children of Gaza are all human blood, he is not saying anything else than that they are equal human beings who deserve an end to violence, an end to the conflict, and an end to a besieged life in exchange for equality and peace. 

Future Prospects of the Gaza Conflict

 What next for Gaza? In the long term, that remains to be seen. But the international community has repeatedly called for a lasting peace solution to the Gaza question, and it has struggled to materialise for numerous reasons. Many decisions concerning the Gaza conflict’s conclusion hinge on the following factors. 

 Political Will and Diplomacy: The critical ingredients of a sustainable peace in Gaza will include leadership, above and below the ground. This must include not only the leadership of the local factions but also the diplomatic efforts of the international community in addressing the root causes of the conflict and building dialogue between the opposing sides. 

 Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction: The human suffering in Gaza must be alleviated by humanitarian aid on an immediate as well as long-term basis. International organizations should work together to provide aid, rebuilding and take responsibility for the long-term development of the region.

 Psychological Support and Education: Psychological interventions taking into consideration the deep trauma that the children and youths of Gaza live with every day are needed to provide a sense of psychosocial structure and allow children to regulate their trauma, work through it, and come to terms with their personal and collective emotional histories. However, it is equally important to provide after-care to cope with past events and generate a positive message for their future.

 Grassroots Movements and Advocacy: Abed Al-Salam Haniyeh as an example of the types of voices we should engage as a way of positioning these grassroots movements and advocacy. By putting their experiences in the spotlight, demanding justice and equality, and by trying to change minds, they play important roles in shaping environments and, in turn, informing policy.

Conclusion

 Abed Al-Salam Haniyeh’s statement in these dark times gives me hope. He said that ‘West Bank children and, for that matter, all other children in the world are no less dear than children in Gaza.’ Let us extend this hope to the future; let us work together to end the violence; let us demand a country where the children of Gaza do not wake up to guns and bullets. The road to peace will be bumpy but we, the citizens of the world, can smooth it by pressurizing our governments to advocate for a peaceful future in which the children of Gaza can live.

Read More News here : https://whatshappening.pk/impact-of-heavy-rainfall-in-pakistan/

Sources : https://time.com/6965693/ismail-haniyeh-children-killed-israel-gaza-ceasefire-negotiations/