Gaza bleeds, humanity fails

Express Tribune

6 hours ago

The writer is an educationist based in Larkana. She can be reached at [e-mail]
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If anyone kills a person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind; and whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind. Qur'an [5:32]
Considering the second line of the above verse, it feels that we, as humans, are also the killers of humanity. In Islam, there is no difference between committing and witnessing cruelty. One becomes an accomplice when he does not take action against the oppressors; hence, he is also called an oppressor if wrongdoing occurs in his presence.
Fifty-seven Muslim countries are not too few to unite for justice. As a Muslim Ummah, it is an obligation to protect humanity from the perspective of justice and rights. Among all Muslim countries, one is bleeding while the rest are watching videos, clips and news about how many have been killed. Yes, it is Gaza. We have been watching and reading news of genocide.
Is it Gaza, or a forgotten piece of land of humanity that absorbs blood like water and plants fingers, hands, feet, and arms, amputated limbs, in the rubble? On humanitarian grounds, this cruelty must be condemned. As human beings, we can play a role by standing with the truth, but today, that truth remains hidden in our hearts — like a sorrowful episode that feels inescapable.
For the past 20 months, Gaza has become an experimental laboratory for shedding blood and killing humanity, a genocide on a large scale, with the death toll surpassing 54,000, including children, men and women. Thousands have been killed, their limbs left lifeless, broken easily by the Israeli military. Now, their only shelter is the earth, and the sky their roof. An acute shortage of basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing has made survival nearly impossible.
Even serving them with food has faced barriers. Trucks filled with aid have been blocked at the border. According to Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, tons of food is blocked at the border while people are starving in Gaza.
Tragically, women and children have suffered the most in this long and brutal war. Their very survival is threatened by relentless starvation and forced displacement. Due to malnutrition, babies are now being born with abnormalities, and premature births have become common.
UN reports state that one in ten babies is underweight or premature. Miscarriages, stillbirths and abnormalities are increasing rapidly due to a lack of medical supplies — including painkillers and basic hygiene products -— caused by the ongoing blockade. According to the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, "Violence leaves scars not on the body but on the mind. Mental health is not a luxury. It is life-saving." She adds, "In Gaza, 75% of women suffer from depression. Girls say they wish they were dead."
This endless war has snatched away loved ones from these girls and women, many of them killed in bombings or dragged roughly by soldiers, leaving deep scars on their mental and physical health.
"I was torn into a thousand pieces to the extent that I wanted to scream to the whole world, saying: 'Save my daughter from death, save her!'" says Aya, a victim of Gaza.
Although the war shows no signs of ceasing, real solutions will only come if the superpowers, the UN and the OIC take serious and honest action. Instead, the US continues to defend Israel in the name of regional security, while the situation on the ground tells a different story.
Post-Iran attack, Israel has witnessed retaliatory actions aimed at rebalancing power. Resilient in its response, Iran launched missiles in defence.
Statements alone will never solve the ongoing genocide. True commitment to the cause of Palestine matters now more than ever. To prevent further mental and physical suffering, the Muslim Ummah must assemble and stand firm for Gaza. Now, it must be humanity first.