Where is humanity?

Sonder: The feeling one has on realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own, in which they are the central character and others, including oneself, have secondary or insignificant roles

Humanity: Compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane

“A mother bids farewell to her 3rd son who has been killed during the Israeli aggression against Gaza”

“A father bids farewell to his daughter who was killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza”

“‘My children… My children, they bombed my house’ a man says whilst in shock and receiving treatment after his home was bombed.”

— from @eye.on.palestine on Instagram

“They told people to evacuate their homes to “safe zones” then they bombed the “safe zones”, the number of people killed is expected to rise due to the high number of critical injuries”

— from @wizard_bisan1 on Instagram

These are only a few examples of the horrific and inconsolable realities of thousands of Palestinians over the past few months.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched rockets at Israeli communities, tragically killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages. In response, the Israeli government declared war on Hamas and has since killed upwards of 30,000 Palestinians including thousands of civilians.

Living in a world where retaliation means mass murder, destruction and displacement on a catastrophic scale does not give me much hope for humanity.

Let me be clear: The lives lost and the trauma caused by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 is devastating. My heart hurts for the victims and their families. Any loss of life from the recent violence in the Middle East is devastating; you should feel the same way.

It is human to feel for others. You should feel for others even if they don’t look like you, don’t sound like you or live like you - that is part of what humanity is.

The violence we are witnessing is only the most recent edition of a long and bloody history between Israel and Palestine. According to VOX news, the strip of land located east of the Mediterranean Sea has been battled over by both Israelis and Palestinians for decades.

Some argue that the conflict dates back centuries, but the current conflict can be traced back to the early 20th century. At a time when European Jews were fleeing extreme persecution, they looked to Palestine, which at the time was an area mostly populated by Arab and Muslim communities, to establish a national homeland. The pursuit of said national homeland initiated the displacement of tens of thousands of Arabs and Muslims who already occupied the land. As a result, the 1948 war, also known by Palestinians and others as the Nakba - which means “catastrophe” in Arabic - saw the displacements of more than 700,000 Palestinians. It is a tragedy that has yet to be reconciled even today.

Although many Israelis and Palestinians have differing claims as to what caused the massive displacement in the mid-20th century, Palestinians have not forgotten the tragedy of the Nakba.

For many the current conflict is eerily similar to the massive displacement that occurred 76 years ago.

Please click here and here to learn more about the Nakba and the history of Israeli and Palestinian conflicts.

Hamza AbdulQader and Rammie Ashkar are two Chicago-based Palestinian intensive care unit (ICU) nurses who recently returned from Palestine. They were stationed at the European Gaza Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip as volunteer medics from March 4 to March 18.

Teaming up with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA), the two witnessed first-hand the magnitude of the multilayered massacre that is being inflicted upon Palestine and its people.

Originally from Ein Karem, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, AbdulQader recalls feeling overwhelmingly helpless before his mission.

“I couldn't wake up or go to sleep without seeing dismembered and disfigured body parts of kids, women and men and buildings just being destroyed nonstop. I was angry, frustrated, depressed,” he said. “It got to a point where, honestly, I'm so grateful that I got to go there because I felt so helpless and hopeless here that I did not know what to do.”

Helplessness is not a feeling solely experienced by AbdulQader. Despite global outcries for a ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of donated funds and supplies, volunteer missions by medical organizations and more - the devastation persists.

Though global governments claim to be for the people, when their citizens beg and plead for authorities to intervene in Israel's assault on Palestine, they are met with silence, hesitation or outright rejection.

Yes, I am aware that there are intricate and nuanced political powers and relationships at play, but if intervening when literal genocide is being committed is too tall an ask, then where is the line drawn? When does the violence become too much?

Or is it about who is being killed? Is the violence okay because the bodies don’t belong to a political ally? As long as the bodies are Palestinian, it’s okay right?

Oh. Thought so.

I think that it is frightening that thousands of human beings are dying, and no government has interfered in fear of stepping on too many toes. And you should be scared too.

It appears that many governments have become so entangled in the pursuit of power that they have lost sight of the fundamental principles of right and wrong. In their quest for dominance, they have forgotten their duty to serve the people, turning into relentless, power hungry monsters.

So I want to ask you, how much power do you think you really have? Because if the tables were turned on you, and you were running for your life while your friends and family died around you, I bet you wouldn’t want your fate - your life - to be at the mercy of today’s political powers.

To make matters worse in Palestine, according to AbdulQader, not only are Palestinians being bombed day and night, but the Israeli forces are severely limiting the amount of medical supplies and aid allowed within Palestinian borders, despite large amounts of donations and supplies from around the world.

“We were only allowed to bring in six suitcases each because they [the Israeli government] control everything that enters now. We were hearing there was an orthopedic surgeon that had over a ton of aid, medical and surgical supplies that was not allowed to enter,” he said.

Because of this lack of supplies, there is only so much medics can do for their patients. It is not fancy medical equipment that is in slim supply (though it is as well) but basics like gauze, soap, alcohol, pain medication and sterilized bag valve masks to keep people breathing. This imposed limit on medical supplies is taking thousands of lives that could have been saved.

Children are being left to writhe in inexplicable pain because medics don’t have the necessary medical supplies to treat them properly. This was the case for a patient of AbdulQader, a boy no older than five named Ahmend who was injured during an explosion.

He had two chest tubes in. Typically patients in that situation are on pain control and sedation. He was only on one medication and it was a very minor sedative that we give to patients who are anxious and awake. So we started him on very low-dose fentanyl the next day. Why such a low dose of fentanyl? Because there's such a limited supply. We could not overdo it because if we overuse it and run out tomorrow and then there's a burn or significant trauma, then we’re screwed...This kid managed to remove his breathing tubes himself and just started screaming and crying. He's screaming, asking for his mom and dad, and crying. There's nothing we could do about it. We don't know where his family is and we can't manage his pain. And this is the story of every child in the hospital...The screams are the worst for me because all it takes is a little bit of medicine, a little bit of anesthetic, a little bit of pain control to help.

This is a child. Alone, in pain, fighting for his life and terrified. If you have children, siblings, friends, imagine them in Ahmed’s shoes. I know just imagining my brother writhing in pain, alone, not knowing if his family is alive brings tears to my eyes.

To you, Ahmed is just a story; a story you have the privilege of reading on your smart device and then going back to your life. To thousands of people, Ahmed’s story is not a story, but a reality.

And the reality is that hospitals across Gaza are being forced to evacuate and shut down due to Israeli attacks, leaving wounded people and their families scrambling for any sort of safety and medical help. According to PBS, Al-Alhi Hospital and Patients Friends Association Hospital were forced to shut down after Israel ordered an evacuation from the eastern and central parts of Gaza on July 8, leaving patients and doctors frantic to relocate.

Lives are being snatched away from Palestinians as if life isn’t the most precious thing known to man. Refuge is being demolished leaving thousands of people homeless. Essential medical supplies are being restricted as if they don’t mean the difference between life and death. Precious farmland is being destroyed and sewage and waste systems are compromised, leaving the land barren and toxins running wild.

What we are witnessing is a massacre on all fronts.

In AbdulQader’s words, “It's inflicting pain past the point of just bombing. You bomb the building, sure, but you're also starving the population of proper medical treatment, proper medical aid, food and water. There's no more safe havens,” he said.

*The written dreams of a displaced Palestinian. Photo by Hamza AbdulQader*

Adding to the long list of horrors being experienced in Palestine, disease and infection control is nearly impossible. Not only are the necessary sanitary supplies in low stock, but in addition, people with nowhere else to go have flocked to hospitals for refuge, allowing infection and disease to flourish. According to Ashkar, those who survive medical treatment, more often than not, will have to fight for their lives against infection.

“Every single patient that goes into the OR (operating room) for any procedure, their infection rate is 100% just because there is no infection control,” he said. “Every single patient who was getting infections was going back for either debridement, cleaning, or possible amputation.”

Every hallway of the European Gaza Hospital was filled to the brim with people. Amongst the masses were not only the injured and their families but also displaced people searching for a roof over their heads - for a roof over their families’ heads. One such person is Hamza, whom Ashkar recalls meeting at the hospital.

“We've met a guy named Hamza. He is one of the charge nurses. He lives in the ICU supply closet. He and his family. So he's constantly on the floor just because there is nowhere else for him to go,” Ashkar said.

Only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still functioning as of July 9, and even those are only partially operating according to the U.N. humanitarian office. Currently, the European Gaza Hospital is virtually empty due to evacuation orders for the surrounding areas, though the hospital itself was not ordered to evacuate.

Ashkar and AbdulQader witnessed carnage beyond comprehension, destruction that has only continued despite global calls for a ceasefire. Ceasefire negotiations between the two parties have been fraught, to say the least. However, the most recent proposal provides a glimmer of hope and includes complete withdrawal from Gaza by the Israeli military according to the Wilson Center. Hopefully in the near future the violence will cease, and wrongs will be righted. No more lives need to be lost.

Having now returned to the States AbdulQader says that he has been struggling to reintegrate into society.

“I don't know how to go back to normal. I don't know how because I'm so angry that people don't care,” he said.

As of May 31, the U.S government has sent $12.5 billion dollars in military aid to Israel according to the Council on Foreign Relations. That is a gross amount of money, and to think that it goes toward taking lives instead of preserving them is sickening. It feels as though people have forgotten that life is sacred, and that is not a religious view, it is a moral and ethical one. I’m fearful of where the world is heading if life, or more specifically, the taking of life, continues to be seen as a dollar sign.

Although Ashkar and AbdulQader intend on pursuing another volunteer mission to Palestine in the future, now back in Chicago, the two have delved into participating in and supporting Chicago pro-Palestinian protests including attending student-led encampments at Chicago-area universities like DePaul and Northwestern.

From April 24 to April 29, Northwestern’s Deering Meadow was the site of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, one of the many pro-Palestinian encampments that have popped up across the nation’s universities in recent months.

Simon Carr, a rising Northwestern third-year, was involved in the organization of the encampment and was willing to get arrested for the cause that he believes in. Carr has been a lifelong activist for the underrepresented and oppressed and says his support for Palestine and anti-zionism aligns with his Jewish heritage.

“Anti-Zionism is about the most Jewish thing I could do,” he said. “I was raised with the idea that Judaism is about liberation in a lot of ways. Part of our existence has been being separate from the dominant government and fighting against imperialism. I've had so many ancestors who died in genocide which was justified in similar ways, and I refuse to stay silent when similar things happen to others.”

Carr says that although the main goal of the encampment was Northwestern's divestment from organizations that fund Israel, it was also a reminder that Northwestern belongs to the students and faculty, not just its wealthy donors.

“I think that Northwestern is a large institution with a lot of money and it's important to take up space in that institution to demonstrate that it belongs to the students and the people, and not just to wealthy administrators,” he said.

Showing institutions that they are for the people and not instruments to grab for power is a sentiment that I think more people should adopt. This doesn’t require some grand act of resistance, but can be as simple as reconsidering where you spend your money, donating to just causes, supporting protests and movements you believe in, and most importantly, informing yourself so you can make educated decisions based on your reasoning - not based on the influence of others.

Activism against a genocide is not a religious attack. I’ll say that again. Activism against a genocide is not a religious attack. It is a cry for the upholding of human rights.

This is proven by a Northwestern Jewish-Palestinian student’s experience at Northwestern’s encampment. In a time where one could imagine strife between Palestinian and Jewish people, this student’s experience witnessed a beautiful community of not only Palestinian and Jewish students alike, but also of students from all backgrounds, rallying together to advocate for Northwestern’s divestment from organizations that fund Israel and for the end of the horrific massacre in the Middle East.

“As a person who is both [Palestinian and Jewish], the encampment was really beautiful. Roughly, half of the people at the encampment were Jewish. We know that this genocide goes against our morals and everything that is being done right now is just a complete violation of the tenets,” they said. “Being a person of Jewish descent during this time, is actually very uplifting and grounding.”

Northwestern’s encampment provided a safe space for students and the larger community to be supported and seen, as individuals continue to struggle to cope with the devastation they’ve witnessed in Gaza. A Muslim Egyptian-American student and a rising third-year - who requested to remain anonymous - said their experience of watching the violence in Palestine has been horrifying.

“To see all of that, and to be able to understand first hand what the Palestinians are saying instead of a translation, and not only that, but seeing people with my name or the names of my family and friends, and they were dead is really hard to see,” they said, in tears. “At the end of the day, I think most Arabs and Muslims can agree that these Palestinians really do feel like our own brothers and sisters. Especially at a time like this, we're all just one people.”

At a time like this it is essential to remember that we are all one. Yes the world is a beautiful cacophony of different cultures, heritages, skin colors, religions; but, what we all are is human. And we need to remember that especially when our human brothers, sisters and siblings are having their rights trampled and stripped.

One day, you might find yourself in need of help, and in that moment, you would seek the compassion of others, not based on their appearance, but on the shared bond of our humanity. As human beings, we should be driven to help one another, rising above the differences that separate us.

Alec Easter, a rising Northwestern third-year and encampment attendee said the current conflict in Palestine is a frightening violation of basic civil liberties, and he refuses to stay silent on the topic.

“It's not a religious thing. It's a human rights thing. Everyone talks about how complicated it is, I really don't think it's all that complicated. You have a genocide happening and it's something that goes against every value I hold dear, so of course I’m going to speak up,” he said.

Though many people worldwide share Easter’s sentiments, it is becoming abundantly clear that the power to stop the violence in the Middle East is not up to the people, but is up to those in power. This serves as a global reminder to critically think about who you vote for and make educated and informed decisions, especially with such a crucial election on the horizon in the U.S.

According to Easter, foreign support for Palestine and a ceasefire is essential to ensuring that the violence in the Palestine comes to an end.

“I think one of the biggest frustrations I have is that it really seems like most of the world’s citizens, from what I've seen so far, really do not want this to continue. But it's really those in power who are perpetuating this genocide,” he said. “The foreign support of Israel has to stop or else they won't stop. Everybody in the West needs to absolutely stop Israel in its tracks, including U.S. officials. Netanyahu and all the Israelis, of course, but also U.S. officials will need to be held accountable for their complicity in this genocide or their active promotion of it.”

It appears that Easter’s wish might be in the beginning stages of fruition. According to CNN,, Spain, Norway, and Ireland have recognized Palestine as an official state as of May 28 of this year Additionally, on March 25 the U.N Security Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan. Countries like China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom voted in favor of the resolution; however, the United States chose to abstain.

Many U.S. officials, including President Biden, have reaffirmed their support for Israel. Although Biden has been working with the Israeli government to come to ceasefire terms, no such terms, permanent or temporary, have been solidified.

Despite continued governmental support of Israel, thousands of U.S. citizens continue to protest and rally for an end to the violence in Palestine. And we should continue to do so, even when it seems headlines have moved on. People are still dying!

AbdulQader said the continued support of Palestine by people from all walks of life and the pro-Palestinian encampments that swept the country bring him hope for the future of Palestine and the U.S.

“I would like to extend my eternal gratitude to your entire generation, all these college campuses, all of these organizations. You guys are putting a lot on the line,” he said. “You guys are doing this, pushing against the system, at the risk of your own futures, and that is a level of bravery that I don't know I would have had when I was a student.”

I’ll leave you with the wise words of the Palestinian-Jewish Northwestern student, “To anyone who's reading this: educate yourself, use critical thinking skills. When you hear things in the media about Middle Eastern people, question why our institutions are shoving these alleged truths down our throats so hard,” they said.

Think for yourself and remember that no student movement ever like this has been on the wrong side of history.

A final note from the author:

Violence, especially on this scale, is never the answer and I fear that the world has grown numb to the true tragedy that is the loss of life.

To the reader, you can turn your phone off after reading this or close your computer, but thousands of people aren’t able to just turn off their devices and return to their comfortable life. For others, the horrors described in this piece are their realities.

I want you to reflect upon your life, the opportunities you’ve had, and the love you’ve shared with others. If you have a mother, father, best friend, or sibling, imagine the pain you would feel if they were ripped from you and know that that very pain is being experienced not only by Palestinians but by hundreds of thousands of people across the globe dying from unnecessary violence.

Feel something.

Say something.

Do something.

Don’t be on the wrong side of history.

Donation Resources

PAMA (Palestinian American Medical Association):

https://palestinian-ama.org/

Education

Israel and the laws of war: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/world/europe/israel-gaza-and-the-laws-of-war.html

Nakba history

https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18080030/israel-palestine-nakba-history

Palestine conflict history: https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18080002/israel-palestine-conflict-history-overview-map