Researcher, writer and translator Yousef Aljamal highlights the human impact of the political situation through his mother’s and sister’s stories.
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#Gaza #Palestine #Journalism #Journalist #Journocide #Devastation #Loss #HumanitarianCrisis #Military #IsraeliOccupation #Media #GazaGenocide #Israel #Bombing #Violence #Emotions #War #Palestinian #Palestine #WarOnGaza #Oppression #IReadOutlook #ReturnToReading
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NewsTranscript
00:00 I am Pragya and I bring to you excerpts from the year-ender issue titled "We Bear Witness".
00:06 The issue is dedicated to the people of Gaza and what they went through.
00:10 Gaza is our home by Yusuf M. Azmal.
00:16 Researcher, writer and translator Yusuf Azmal highlights the human impact of the political
00:22 situation through his mother's and sister's stories.
00:25 As told to Abhi Bhattacharya from Outlook.
00:28 My mother's agony started before October 7th and it embodies the enduring connection of a
00:35 people to their land and each other.
00:38 Her story defies the notion that Palestinians can be neatly categorized or divided.
00:44 It is a testament to the power of heritage and the deep roots of family bonds that not
00:50 even the most stringent of blockades can sever.
00:54 For 12 years, Israel denied her a permit to visit her family in the West Bank,
00:59 even when her parents passed away in 2003 and 2008.
01:04 The Israeli occupation tries to dilute the vibrant colors of Palestinian life,
01:10 enforcing segregations and sowing division.
01:13 But we Palestinians understand they're not two entities, Gaza and the West Bank,
01:21 but a collective, a single entity scattered across the globe,
01:26 united in aspiration and suffering.
01:30 We carry the tales of children lost to darkness, the harshness of resource scarcity,
01:36 and the daily indignities of life under siege.
01:39 But even as we mourn, we dream of returning, of justice and of a better tomorrow.
01:46 The loss of my sister Zainab due to complications from a gallbladder issue
01:51 amidst the backdrop of the Israeli siege on Gaza in 2007 was devastating to my family.
01:59 Zainab's condition required a simple operation, which was impossible to obtain in Gaza
02:05 because of the lack of necessary medical equipment.
02:08 Efforts to secure a permit for her to receive medical care in Jerusalem
02:12 were thwarted by Israeli authorities, who labeled her as a security threat.
02:18 With the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt frequently closed
02:22 due to the internal conflict between Fatah and Hamas
02:26 and the European Union's suspension of its mission,
02:29 Zainab's medical situation became dire.
02:32 The crossing briefly opened for the last time in 2007,
02:36 before the siege was officially imposed and she was able to travel to Egypt in an ambulance.
02:43 But it was already too late. She passed away in Cairo shortly after.
02:48 Her ordeal highlights the human impact of the political situation,
02:53 illustrating how the siege on Gaza not only exacerbates medical emergencies,
02:59 but also inflicts deeper psychological wounds on those affected.
03:04 The narrative underscores the sense of injustice felt by my family and the broader community,
03:10 with the Israeli soldiers at the crossing showing a lack of empathy for her loss.
03:15 Despite my father and aunt's encounter with the insensitive soldier,
03:21 Zainab was finally brought back to Gaza and laid to rest after two failed attempts.
03:27 They had to bring her body in an ambulance to the border between Gaza and Israel.
03:33 Despite this, we will not move. Gaza is our home.
03:38 For this and more, read the Year-Ender issue of Outlook.