By Mudassar Ali Iqbal
LAHORE - “I hope the smile will remain on their faces forever,” said Saidi about the children of Gaza.
Saidi is a clown artist who performs for the children in Gaza. Saidi, along with his fellow artists and acrobats, tries to bring smile on the battle-wounded faces of Gaza.
With their performances, children residing in makeshift refugee camps forget the pain afflicted by Israel for few moments.
Saidi, whose clown name is Uncle Zaatar, is an example of a blessing in disguise for these children in Gaza. Reports say 91pc of children in Gaza are victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In such a setting the efforts to spread smiles by Saidi and other artists like him are nothing short of a miracle.
Oct 7, 2023 was the day when this genocidal war began in an already war-torn land of Palestine. By the time I am sprinkling my ink on this issue, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The deceased include 16,000 innocent children, and 96,000 people are critically injured.
Without an iota of doubt, this disproportionate Israeli brutality is genocidal by all counts. It has given rise to one of the biggest humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
HARKING BACK
The origin of this hitherto unresolved conflict harks back to 1917 when colonial British rulers almost formally announced the inception of a Zionist Israel state by issuing the “Balfour Declaration”. The matter is now more than a century old.
Ever since Israel became an independent country (enabled by its western backers), almost seven million Palestinian refugees have been displaced from their beloved motherland.
The recent Israeli aggression, which has been going on for the past 11 months, has rendered almost two million people from Gaza homeless, which accounts for more than 75pc of the population.
Many of them were forced to flee multiple times. They are living in worst conditions in refugee camps and shelters. In these camps even most basic necessities of life are not available. Food, water, clothing, sanitation, and washrooms are not available.
EMBODIMENT OF COURAGE
Even in this situation Sama Abu Najam is another embodiment of bravery and courage. Sama is a Palestinian violinist and child artist. After the war began, she continuously tried to amuse the children of Gaza with her violin tunes.
She teaches violin to children in the camps. She even teaches to those who lost their arms. The courage of a girl from Palestine is symbolic of the perseverance of Palestinians in general, which makes them stand tall without any weapons in their hands.
According to Article 26 of UN Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) 1948, education is the fundamental right of every individual. But Israel has snatched this fundamental right from Palestinian students.
Almost 630,000 students are out of school due to Gaza war and 87pc of the schools have been destroyed by the Israeli forces. At least 10,000 students and 411 teachers have been killed during this period of rampant Israeli brutality, making the need for new schools and educational facilities for education of Palestinian children necessary than ever before.
AN ANGEL IN GAZA
There are many teachers from Gaza who became examples of resilience in this war. They are trying to educate the children of Gaza on the ruins of their own homes and in the tattered tents which have been converted into classrooms.
Esra Ebu Mustafa is one such example who teaches the children of war-torn Gaza in a tent which is placed on the ruins of her own house which was destroyed by Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.
She teaches the children with fun activities and tries to help them recuperate from the traumas they suffered. She teaches children from pre-school to sixth grade.
“This tent school is a home to many children of camp,” said Doa’a - another voluntary teacher who imparts lessons in a tent school in refugee camp of Deir Al-Balah.
Before the recent war Doa’a was studying literature in Al-Azhar University of Gaza but now her dreams have been shattered by Israeli brutality but she is trying to be the light for the children of Gaza to educate them and keep their dreams alive.
These people of Gaza are a beacon of inspiration for everyone across the globe. These examples are showing that Palestinians also want to live peacefully but their right to life was snatched by Israeli bigotry.
These children with books and violin in their hands in tattered tents on the ruins of their homes and schools are finding a light of hope that Palestine will be peaceful sooner or later and it will smile again.