I ran into my friend on the bike path. We hadn’t seen each other since his wife and kids managed to escape Rafah. Had anything gone wrong with the plan, had there been a delay at the bank, a robbery in Egypt — anything — they would still be in Rafah right now, trapped.
“Noura” he calls me, “Noura they destroyed the border crossing. It’s gone. They’re doing scorched earth in Rafah. It’s all gone! My kids were dancing at that border crossing just weeks ago! And now it’s gone.”
The rumors are flying about what’s next. The people who had sent money to the Egyptian travel agency that arranges for people to leave Gaza are afraid that their money is gone (between paying and evacuation can be several weeks). No one can leave any more. A US company is going to be installed to manage the border crossing for Israel, says the word on the street. Who knows if it’s true? It’s the fog of genocide.
Al Jazeera says that at least 35,173 people have been killed and another 10,000 people, at least, are missing. That number includes 14,500 children and are certainly low estimates. In the West Bank, nearly 500 people have been killed since October 7. And, as Israeli officials have vowed to wipe Gaza off the map, they have done a number on the civil infrastructure too. From Al Jazeera,
- 80% of commercial facilities
- 73% of school buildings
- 12 out of 35 hospitals are partially functioning
- 83% of groundwater wells not operational
- 267 places of worship
have been destroyed. And, half of all residential buildings too.
If we consider that a similar rate of death would have resulted in 47,000 Torontonians murdered in just six months, maybe we could humanize Gazans for enough time to give ourselves pause — who on earth supports this slaughter?
Well, for one, the City of Toronto, which has allowed Israel to raise its flag at City Hall to celebrate its Independence Day. (more...)
No comments:
Post a Comment