This ever-worsening Israel-Palestine conflict is absolutely insane to watch unfold in real time, and I am absolutely shattered with each new report. Perhaps the worst thing is how people deny the basic truth of the torture, suffering, destruction, and death that is occurring in Palestine. Each day I can open my Instagram or TikTok accounts and see live footage from civilians like myself who are documenting the horrors they are witnessing all around them.

I’ve watched Israeli soldiers shoot children. Babies have not escaped their violence.

These people are not journalists trying to paint a narrative, they are humans who are trapped in a tiny strip of land in which their enemies are hunting them ruthlessly.

This conflict stretches back decades, and at this point I refuse to argue the basic facts. Israel is a colonialist state that was very nearly placed in my home country of Australia. Colonialist states are built on violence and oppression, and they have been a textbook example of this since their establishment in 1948. Despite declaring the land a safe haven for Jews after the horrors of the holocaust, the people of Israel enacted the same horrors on the Palestinian people native to the land.

The Israeli holocaust against the Palestinian people has continued for years, but has now been brought to light for all the world to see. And it is looking terrible.

This timeline from Vox (4-Sep-2024) reveals the decades of provocation and conflict Israel caused. In these conditions, it is no wonder that extremist groups began to rise, desperate for freedom from the Israeli forces who oppressed them. One such group was Hamas, the infamous Palestinian ‘terrorist’ organisation who launched the October 7 attacks in 2023.

For many in the world, this was the first time they had heard about this conflict, and the shock of the high death toll (around 1200 Israeli people) was frightening. It has almost been a year since the conflict began now, and Israel has taken its ‘eye for an eye’. Twenty times over in fact. There have been ***13,000 children killed in Gaza by Israel.*** Ten times more than all the Israeli people killed. This is more deaths than we have seen in years. To put this into perspective, this page has half of their names (see how long you can scroll before the reality of this horror sinks in).

Schools which shelter the displaced civilians are being targeted in missile and drone strikes. Humanitarian aid bases—which should never be targeted in war as they are neutral—have been hit. Israel is not carrying out strategic strikes, this is annihilation, this is genocide.

For all their talk of wanting their hostages returned, Israel treats their own hostages—Palestinian or not, civilian or not, male or female—worse than animals. Video footage has been released of soldiers raping and sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees. It was shown on Israeli television and after the soldiers were detained, lawmakers and right-wing Israeli groups stormed the premises to demand their release. The treatment of Palestinian hostages by Israel is hard to find, but the stories are chilling.

This is not to diminish the awful acts that Hamas has committed, or that the suffering the Israeli people have experienced is not painful. Yet I am at a complete loss every time I hear people argue that Hamas is the only evil in this situation. That Israel is only defending itself. They have explicitly stated that when it comes to what the Israeli people can do to the Palestinians “everything is legitimate to do! Everything!”. That sounds exactly like the thinking Hitler had when he set out to exterminate the Jews.

At some point in every war there comes a point of no return. This war is no longer about the 1948 issues or the Nakba or the October 7th attack. It is now about every brutal act of death and destruction that happens. Each act begets a new retaliation and the cycle continues until there is total victory, mutual destruction, or a conflict that never ends.

The fact of the matter is that no one else deserves to die. There is nothing in this world that can be worth this much death and destruction. People deserve to live their lives in safety! I cannot believe this is something that people argue! Hamas should not have attacked on October 7th but Israel should not have done everything in their power to oppress the Palestinian people before that! Power is a hell of a drug and the ability to craft a narrative of ‘us versus them’ has neverneverneverever worked out well for anyone!

No one deserves to lose their home and livelihood.

No one deserves to be tortured, raped, or assaulted.

No one deserves to be trapped in a death-zone with no way to escape or provide for yourself.

No one deserves to be left in a humanitarian aid camp with only grass to eat.

No one deserves to be killed. Period.

This is a strong stance to take, I know, but I fear that if there is a bar that denotes which humans are allowed to live or not, then that bar can be moved. And if it can be moved, it will be moved. We can debate all the ethics of that another time, but for now? THIS WAR MUST END.

As it continues, more people get involved and soon this war will break out into an international affair. This phenomenon, known as ‘chain-ganging’ will spiral until we all feel the heat. World War 3 could be here before we know it and I want to scream. I have no desire to see any more death or injury anywhere in the world. This is disgusting! This is an abomination and a stain upon humanity. I am more aware than anyone that war and violence has been the norm for centuries but we must move past this tit-for-tat vengeance.

It can feel like there is nothing that we can do about this, and right now, there are few options available to us. However, any action is better than no action.

Primarily, you can donate. Give to the organisations who are helping the Palestinian people currently trapped in Gaza. The Operation Olive Branch page is another option to give to people directly.

Additionally, you must help apply global pressure on your own government as well as on the other key governments involved. Certainly the United States and the United Kingdom are two of the biggest supporters of Israel, but all five permanent members of the United Nations (including China, France, Russia) are all key supporters.

I’ve also been horribly disappointed by Australia’s support to Israel as well and hope to see some serious change in our foreign relations going forward. It’s about time people around the globe woke up to how critical this point in time is—we must all act and work towards building a better world for all people.

I hate ending these posts with too much doom and gloom, knowing how hard it can be mentally, so read on for some good news.

In the midst of all this horror, there is some good news. Protestors in Israel are calling for a ceasefire to bring back their hostages, as many turn on Netanyahu for his heinous crimes and decisions.

People all around the world are chipping in to donate money to families trapped in Gaza, sharing news about what is going on and helping families to rebuild their lives through Operation Olive Branch.

For now, stay focused, stay ready, and stay posting! Share the information you can, where you can. There’s no such thing as not being educated enough, we’re all constantly learning and growing. Get the conversations started and get this moving. We must fight for those who cannot fight for themselves right now. We’re all in this together.