“I am four Israeli Aggressions old.” Says Plestia Alaqad in her diary, The Eyes of Gaza. We all watched it unfold in real time, and now, revisiting the events three years after this genocide started, it is disheartening to see it grow more destructive and evil.
“I spot a baby bottle in the church, under the rubble, full of milk.”
The Eyes of Gaza
I remember watching the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in real time, not believing that there ever could be such a reality – the one where you have a detailed account of war crimes, and the world did nothing. The world did something – people, ordinary people, came together to care, to advocate, and to help – but this really shed light on just how deeply rooted these oppressive systems are, and how far their hands reach.
It showed the world an incredible amount of resilience, not that Palestinians had anything to prove to the world. As Plestia said herself, the world was looking for a perfect victim, and they always care about Palestinian death. West Asia – “middle east” – has long been turned into a landfill where the “West” can test their brutality, and a chessboard for them to play on.
The rhetoric around Palestine on the part of our governments is, to this day, a shameful stain on the face of the world. “It’s difficult to believe in impartial journalism when facts and narratives have been weaponized and distorted, and lies and propaganda have found stable ground.”
“I hope and I hope and I hope.”
the eyes of gaza
What makes Plestia’s diary so impactful is how raw her entries are. She’s so young! She says, well into the genocide: “I’m trying to reflect on and understand the past couple of weeks of my life, but I genuinely can’t understand. I’m almost twenty-two years old – I’m an adult”. That is so young!
Plestia, who just started pursuing a career in journalism and is trying to figure out what she wants in life, is so full of determination and liveliness. That young woman is changed forever after witnessing the destruction of her home, the suffering and killing of her loved ones, and displacement, and you can feel that devastation and desperation with each new entry.
The ceasefires turned into empty promises, and nothing means nothing anymore. Long is a way to collective liberation. But I hope and I hope and I hope.
There was a call for all eyes on Gaza, and I hope that reminder is never forgotten. The Eyes of Gaza are still turned to us until a free Palestine.
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Three times of saying I hope in one sentence says it all. I can’t imagine their lives there and how could I be down if hearing this makes me so grateful. All I can do is now is sending my prayers for peace.
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