A Message from Lajee Center on the ongoing Nakba against the Palestinian people
This month’s letter is different from any before: it is the month of resistance, honour, heroes, pain; it is the month of the ongoing Nakba and ongoing resistance.
Today, we are the voice of the 27,009 square kilometers, we are the voice of the 15 million Palestinian who have never seen their homeland, who are resisting for their right on this land, their right of return, for their right to build their own country.
For more than 75 years, Palestine suffered from the colonial apartheid regime, ethnic cleansing, displacement, blockades, confiscation of Palestinian lands, massacres in Palestinians towns, desecration of Palestinian holy sites, daily raids into Palestinian homes and arrests, and constant brutal attacks sanctioned by the Israeli colonizer state.
Gaza has been under siege for more than 15 years. Many wars happened in Gaza during that time, but what we are watching today is a genocide with international governments supporting and defending the colonial apartheid collective punishment against the Palestinians civilians.
Until this minute that we are writing this letter more than 18,000 Palestinian civilians have lost their lives in Gaza, most of them are children and women. More than 50,000 have been injured with no medical aids in the hospitals that including anesthesia, operational equipment, oxygen aids, electricity, fuel, water, and moreover, air strikes at the hospitals. Around 1.8 million Palestinian in Gaza have been displaced from their homes.
Since the 27th of October, there is no internet connection as well as attacks on the communication system that result in losing the connection between the people in Gaza and the others as well as communication breakdown between the hospitals and ambulances and rescue teams.
This situation has been experienced for many years, and not only in Gaza, but in the whole of Palestine. In the West Bank, the colonial apartheid regime immediately started separating Palestinian cities and villages from each other; oppressing Palestinians in the checkpoints; arresting and executing Palestinians; colonizers attacks under the protection of the apartheid defense army; and home demolitions. Since the beginning of this year there have been 392 martyrs – 144 since the 7th of October – in the West Bank. Two of the martyrs are prisoners, who have been killed by the apartheid regime army and around 2,200 are injured in the West Bank cities. Moreover, more than 2,000 Palestinians have been arrested by the colonial apartheid regime, most of them received a sentence of administrative detention orders, which means no clear evidence and no clear reason for being arrested is given by the army.
In the prisons, where our people are kept in cells, there are more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners who are suffering from daily oppression. Their personal items are confiscated, they received water for only 15 minutes daily, and have no hot water, electricity, family visitors, lawyer meetings, courts, or medical treatments, including the sick prisoners who have cancer. They are punishing them by forbidding them from receiving treatment.
Our message today, for all of the international world, for all of the people, organizations, movements and unions in solidarity with Palestine, people of conscience and those who believe in and support human rights, dignity and justice, is to mobilize and organize long term sit-ins in front of their government buildings and institutions, creating a permanent presence to stop the genocidal war in Palestine and in Gaza in particular, ending unconditional aid, preventing displacement and ending blockade.
Our people are not numbers. They are families, siblings, parents, children. We are humans who love life whenever we can. We are asking for justice and freedom. What we are searching and aiming for is to live freely on our free Palestine in the 27,009 square kilometers, with no fear, with no checkpoints, to have our 15 million Palestinian who are living all over the world and in blockades in Palestine here in their home land.
Women’s Unit
We had two meetings with the women. On October 1 we had the embroidery project team meeting. The second meeting was with the women to give them a setting to express their thoughts and feelings about the situation.
Health Unit
During this month, the community health workers completed 118 visits to the patients form Aida and Al-Azza refugee camps. Those visits were more focused on psychological support for the patients. The patients needed an intervention due to the political situation – some of the patients have relatives in Gaza, others were facing home invasions by the colonial apartheid regime army during the nights and witnessing their sons get beaten and arrested in front of them.
Lajee Celtic
During this month, we had five training sessions for the Lajee-Celtic team for the ages between 5-16 years old. Due to the situation we did not have the chance to do more training. However, during the first week of October we selected the young Lajee-Celtic team that includes 25 children between the ages of 11-16 years old.
ACLAI Palestine
We had 225 visits during the month. The women had 221 visits, and the men had 34 visits, with a total of 83 sessions.
Environmental Unit
Within this month the environmental workers worked to clean the roof and the soil agricultural basins and plant new seeds in the environment units.
