PALESTINE CHILDREN: A GENERATION GROWING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Humans are social creatures where in living their lives, they are connected to each other and need each other. This has become human nature where an individual cannot carry out an activity without the involvement of another individual. Humans as social creatures have an important role in maintaining social relationships with other people.
As caliphs on earth, it is an obligation for humans to help each other, appreciate and respect differences, and create unity and oneness among the people of the world. Humanity is a universal attitude that every human being in the world must have to treat other humans according to their rights and dignity. Humanity includes compassion, empathy, sympathy and concern for others. In this era of globalization, humanity is no longer limited to the local or national scope, but has expanded to a global scale.
But has the implementation of human values really been realized? In fact, there are still many people out there who are still suffering from the humanitarian crisis. A humanitarian crisis is a condition where the basic rights of a human being are not fulfilled, such as the right to life, a sense of security and justice. Humanitarian crises often occur due to the impact of a conflict, such as the events experienced by the Palestinian people.
It is common knowledge about the long-standing conflict between Palestine and Israel. Starting with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which became the forerunner of the Jewish people to take over the Palestinian territory, then continued with the war between the two in 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel that same year.
The consequences of this war certainly had a negative impact on both countries, many innocent civilians were affected. Various talks and negotiations have been carried out as an effort to reconcile Palestine and Israel, including the Oslo Agreement in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as well as the Camp David negotiations in 2000. However, these negotiations have not succeeded in ending the feud between Palestine and Israel. However, recently the conflict between the two has become increasingly heated.
The conflict heated up again after Hamas launched a number of rockets into Israeli territory. However, the attack from Hamas was not without reason, the attack launched on Israel on October 7 2023 was a response to Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. From this attack, the conflict finally escalated after Israel counterattacked Hamas, but again it was civilians who were affected.
Rocket attacks accompanied by a hail of gunfire continue to be fired into the Gaza Strip, not only targeting Hamas armed forces camps as bombing locations, they even target important buildings such as residential areas, hospitals, educational facilities and food factories. Thousands of people died, many people lost their families, many children even lost their lives. Recently they also carried out attacks in the Rafah area, which is the last city on the southern tip of the Gaza strip, and is the last refuge that is considered “safe” for the more than a million Palestinians there. But unfortunately they were forced to evacuate again after receiving the latest evacuation order.
The Israeli army ordered Palestinians to move to Khan Younis, which incidentally is a place that has also been reduced to rubble. Apart from that, Israel also cut electricity and communication channels, which further added to the suffering for Palestinians. Not only experiencing a humanitarian crisis, Palestinians also experience various kinds of crises, ranging from food, water, electricity, shelter and health crises.
So what about the lives of the children there? While children their age are having fun enjoying their childhood, receiving proper education, children in Palestine have to struggle to find shelter. Thousands of innocent children were affected, many of whom were seriously injured and died at a young age. Those who managed to survive and survived also experienced deep psychological trauma as a result of the war that occurred.
Many children experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even depression. Just imagine how they feel when they look at the house and school where they studied, now destroyed into rubble. Not only that, they also experience health problems, conditions of extreme hunger and acute malnutrition. Moreover, almost all aid routes and supplies have been cut off, causing them and their families to experience a crisis and difficulty in finding safe access to hospitals, the number of which is now only limited.
The humanitarian crisis hitting Palestine is truly sad. This is a tragedy that reflects the failure of the international community to uphold justice and human rights. The war that is taking place not only threatens lives, but also threatens the fate of the young generation of Palestine. The generation that should be the hope of the nation, must now face various serious challenges that could threaten their development and potential.
Israel’s military aggression against Palestine has clearly violated international humanitarian law and the principles contained in the UN Charter regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Currently, various peace efforts are being widely proposed, including the “Two State Solution”. However, it is a shame that Israel has repeatedly rejected this peace solution, even though the “Two State Solution” is the most realistic solution to end this conflict.
Moreover, if you look at it from two sides, with the war that has occurred so far, Israel has also suffered various losses, such as the severing of diplomatic relations with several countries and the decline of the country’s economy. Therefore, wouldn’t it be better to realize a “Two State Solution” by recognizing each other’s independence and living side by side as two independent countries.
The conflict between Palestine and Israel has become a global issue that can affect regional and international stability. Apart from the role of governments and international organizations, international citizens also play an important role in responding and helping to find solutions to ongoing conflicts, through awareness, humanitarian support and real contributions.
Although it is not an easy task to achieve peace between Palestine and Israel, with effective diplomacy and support from the international community, it is certain that a just and sustainable peace will be achieved and the suffering experienced by millions of Palestinians can end.
By: Noviana Yuni Puspitasari
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