My friend Mustafa called me from northern Gaza a few minutes ago.
The first thing he said was:
“ My phone battery is at 2%, and when I thought about who to call, I thought of you. I'm sure I'm going to die, my friend. This might be our last call. Since morning, I've been searching for a sip of water, but I can't find any. My friend, here everything leads to death. They've killed more than 50 people right in front of me. I escaped from them by a miracle, surviving a massacre where more than 27 people, 27 souls, were martyred. People here die and are left on the streets. You look at them and keep walking, as if they were just stones. I sleep on the streets; I have no one. I live alone, without my family. My phone is about to die. I want you to know that I love you and forgive me if I've ever wronged you. ”
The call suddenly ended. It seems the battery ran out.
Between every word, I was shedding tears, holding back the sound of my sobs. Every day, our hearts are burned. Why all of this? Why? Why, world? Why??? I wish I didn’t exist; I wish for death every moment.
For historical context, this is probably the most important video you'll ever watch. Let Israelis tell you in their own words how they stole other people's land, how they raped young girls, how they tortured and massacred innocent civilians.
Aaron Swartz would have been 36 today.
Aaron committed suicide after being sentenced to 35 years in prison by US authorities for transferring and sharing scientific articles from JSTOR.