Yesterday I read through the 94 page long report detailing Israel's deliberate and systematic destruction of childhood in Gaza. This is done through direct means (e.g. snipers targeting babies and children, the constant use of explosives in residential areas knowing they are more likely to kill children), through structural means (e.g. targeting infrastructure that children depend on such as pediatric hospitals, vaccination sites, schools, and orphanages), and through destroying the very foundations of children's dignity (e.g. desecrating children's spaces and belongings, and sexually humiliating them).
While I read this, I thought about my friend Ahmed. "Children in Gaza walk long, dangerous distances to fetch water due to the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, spending six to eight hours daily carrying heavy water loads, replacing school time with daily survival tasks." This has been Ahmed's life for years now. When the report describes the impact of malnutrition on children's bodies they are talking about his body.
In one section, the report states: "poor oral health makes it harder to eat and absorb nutrients, thus contributing to malnutrition." Ahmed (@ahmed-motaz) was born with a disability that impacts his teeth. He first started fundraising because he desperately needs expensive dental implants, which are unavailable in Gaza. It has been years and he has never saved enough to get this care, and his family can barely afford nutritious food. UNICEF ranks the Gaza Strip as “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child." These brutal conditions are even harder for disabled children. Please support Ahmed.
Like many Palestinians, tumblr staff cruelly targeted Ahmed's blog for deletion earlier this month. I am texting with him right now, and I can confirm that @ahmed-motaz is his new blog. His campaign is vetted by @gazavetters in line (#198). Please share this widely so that his followers can find him again <3
Please, I need your help. I'm suffering from severe anemia, feeling extremely dizzy and vomiting, and I'm starving because of the high price of food. I need your assistance to buy medicine and food before my condition worsens. Please don't leave me to suffer; I can't take it anymore. I need your help.
I need your help, guys. I'm experiencing severe stomach pain due to hunger, and I feel like my body is unable to move because of the anemia that's getting worse every moment. Please help me so I can get medicine and food. Please stand by me.























