07/10/2025
๐๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ: ๐๐๐ณ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Two years is long enough. That is 731 days of terror, hunger, and unbearable pain. And the people of Gaza cannot hold on much longer. They did not deserve this. They never deserved to be casualties of political conflict. They are civiliansโordinary human beingsโwho should be treated as such.
The war on Gaza, which erupted on October 7, 2023, began with a surprise attack by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups on Israel. This attack, known as "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," was launched in response to decades of Israeli occupation, the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip, desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and escalating settler violence against Palestinians. In retaliation, Israel launched extensive airstrikes and a ground assault on Gaza as an offense that continues to this day, resulting in widespread devastation and loss of life.
Amid this ongoing conflict and unimaginable suffering, it becomes clear that beyond politics and borders, whatโs truly at stake is the sanctity of human life.
Therefore, my stand is with humanity. It has never been about politics. I stand with peace, with survival, and with the future of children who have witnessed cruelty no child should ever endure. I stand with those who have lost loved ones, homes, and childhood itself.
Yet the world largely remains complacent. Governments continue to hide behind diplomacy with Israel while innocent civilians are starved, bombed, and erased. This cowardice masquerades as โneutrality,โ but neutrality in the face of genocide is not neutralityโit is complicity.
I dare you to set aside politics for a moment and look at Gaza for what it is right now.
The truth is undeniable. People are starving, desperate for shelter. Children are hungry, sick, and dying. This is not an exaggeration to provoke sympathy. This is a fact. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns that children are suffering โunprecedented levelsโ of trauma and malnutrition.
Silence is complicity. If you know and yet remain silent, you are guilty of looking away while human beings are exterminated.
As of now, nearly 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations (UN), most of them women and children. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders reported that over 18,500 children were dead. Al Jazeera media outlet has tallied more than 200 media personnel have been killed. Entire families have been erasedโwithout names, without graves. Hospitals, schools, and religious buildings have been bombed. Food, water, fuel, and medicine have been weaponized. In August, the UN declared famine in Gaza City, with more than half a million people affected.
Importantly, on September 16 the United Nations Commission of Inquiry has confirmed that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, carrying out four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing, causing serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life to bring about destruction, and imposing measures to prevent births. Navi Pillay, chair of the commission, said it plainly: โIt is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza.โ
These are not abstract claims. These are documented crimes against humanity written in a 72-pages report.
Meanwhile, much of the world debates. Justifies. Look away.
Even humanitarian efforts like the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to bring aid, break the siege, and offer hope, were intercepted repeatedly. That attack was not just on Gaza but on global solidarity itself. The flotilla knew that its chances were slim, yet it carried a far greater message that Gaza has not been forgotten.
Aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, are independent activists around the world, unaffiliated with any government or political party. They are committed to sail to Gaza as part of the largest maritime mission to break Israel's illegal siege, their allegiance is to justice, freedom, and the sanctity of human life. Boats of all sizes set sail from ports around the world, converging toward Gaza to open a humanitarian corridor by sea.
In September, a global coalition with a delegation from 57 countries attempted to reach Gaza once again. But again, the flotilla, made up of at least 44 civilian boats carrying some 500 activists, was first intercepted late on Wednesday, October 1. Israeli forces allegedly detained activists and passengers on board. Only one boat, Mikeno, successfully broke the blockade and reached Gazaโs watersโa testimony that breakthrough is possible if people act together. Still, several vessels remain en route to Gaza, undeterred by the threats and intimidation of Israel.
This demonstrates that ordinary people are risking their lives to bring humanitarian aid and solidarity. Meanwhile, powerful governments remain silent, or worse, complicit. How could those entrusted with power to protect humanity stand idle while civilians and aid workers are crushed under bombs?
Some will ask: What can I do? Should I starve myself in solidarity? No. Instead, refuse to turn a blind eye. Speak up. Spread the word. Listen to their pleas. Be the bridge that connects Palestinians to the world. Be their eyes, their ears, and their voice for peace and humanity. Because it is a sin to look away.
I appeal for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an unrestricted humanitarian aid access to Gaza and accountability through the International Criminal Court for crimes of genocide and war.
Anything less is betrayal. Anything less is complicity.
Because every day governments hesitate, more children die. Every day they debate, another family is buried under rubble. Every day they look away, they choose political interests over human lives.
The cry for a Free Palestine is not about politics. It is about humanity. It is about justice. And it is about the future of children who have known nothing but war.
The children of Gaza deserve far more than pity. They deserve life.
As Hani Almadhoun, an organizer at Gaza Soup Kitchen, wrote on Facebook: โMay their [children of Gaza] small hands carry hope instead of heavy cans. May their eyes witness dawns of peace, not nights of fear. May their heart know joy greater than the sorrow they have already seen. They have carried enough. They have suffered enough. May they finally be given the childhood they deserve.โ
Today, the flag of Palestine is no longer just a flag. It has become a symbol of resilience, dignity, and the fight for humanity itself.
To our governments: stop hiding behind excuses. Stop funding genocide. Stop betraying humanity. Choose peace. Choose justice. Choose life.
Let us remember that the comfort we enjoy is a privilege denied to them. This is not to measure one suffering against another, but to shun ignorance, indifference, and complicity. Turning away because we are not the ones suffering is a betrayal of humanity itself.
Two years is enough. The genocide has to stop.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Written by Angel Faith Mirayo
Proofread by Meggs Alexander Tayag
Layout by Jemarie Dumanig
