Since I started my work in the field of human rights in 2014, I have submitted my resignation multiple times after each Israeli offensive on Gaza. After having done my duties as a human rights advocate and -before anything else- as a human being, I fell into depression resulting from desperation over international inaction towards war crimes, and for weeks, sometimes even months, I felt we were screaming into the void. I was known for submitting resignations after each attack until it turned into a joke at the organisation and among my colleagues.
As we move to close the physical space of our Euro-Med Monitor (@EuroMedHR) Gaza office, fearing for the safety of our staff following an escalating Israeli campaign in retaliation for our documentation of Israeli abuses, and most recently the release of our report on sexual violence in Israel’s places of detention, I came across this message sent by my manager on the morning of 7 October 2023. Jokingly, he said: “I’m telling you from now, your resignation will be rejected,” and then followed it with another message: “If you stay alive, of course"
I sent him the screenshot this morning, reminding him that I “happened to” stay alive, but that, bizarrely, I haven’t submitted my resignation, not during the genocide, not following the ceasefire agreement, and not even now, as an Israeli incitement campaign is escalating.
While the world was looking away as a genocide was being livestreamed on their screens, I questioned the point of our work countless times. As I quietly recited the Shahada (the statement of faith before death) each time I entered a school to document testimonies, I questioned whether the world actually deserved more evidence to finally acknowledge that the target was everything called Palestinian, not just a certain political or armed group.
I had so many existential questions, but, to my astonishment (and that of my colleagues), not even once did I submit my resignation. With each human rights defender, activist, or journalist targeted, I came to realise more and more that something about them was annoying the perpetrators. And for the first time in my life, I found a purpose in what I want to be; that if I couldn’t stop war criminals, I want to live the rest of my life annoying them.
As we close the door to our beloved Gaza office, we have finally, more than ever, found a purpose in continuing what we do by all means, under all circumstances.
Heartbreaking words😥
We are deeply saddened as we close @EuroMedHR’s office in Gaza for safety reasons, but our determination to continue this path remains stronger than ever, regardless of the cost.
Wishing our colleague Maha, and all colleagues in Gaza, safety and protection.
"If the specific false claims are no longer necessary to convince the base the fix is in, we lose our biggest proven weapon for holding election liars accountable." Claims of rigged elections never went away:
https://t.co/hQ5uFi5QJt
In the early hours of this day 85 years ago, thousands of families across Estonia were woken by a knock on the door, only to be torn from their homes and deported to Siberia by the Soviet regime.
During the June 1941 deportations, around 10,000 Estonians, together with tens of thousands of Latvians and Lithuanians, fell victim to Soviet terror.
As we honour the victims of these crimes, we must also remember that Russia is using many of the same methods in Ukraine today — deporting children, terrorising civilians, and attempting to erase Ukrainian identity.
History teaches us that crimes left unpunished lead to further aggression. It is time to hold Russia accountable.
Amazing to see this response from the people of Belfast.
We're the majority.
We need to mobilise to push the racists back and defend those who are targeted.
Fuel smuggling helps maintain peace between Libya’s rival elites but drains the treasury. We argue how the EU and member states can curb the haemorrhaging of public funds and strengthen economic governance. https://t.co/vzYRc35UJA
🚨 SHAMEFUL ERASURE! This corrupt Trump administration ordered the Air Force to scrub the historic achievements of Retired Col. Nicole Malachowski — the FIRST female Thunderbird pilot in 2006! 🔥😡
Pete Hegseth's DEI purge is wiping out documented military history to feed fragile egos. Her legacy is NOT a political slogan — it's FACT! Stop the cover-up!
Soccer has always been defined by free-flowing, unbroken action. But for the World Cup in America, FIFA is using “hydration breaks” to shoehorn in commercials. https://t.co/y1BqbB62YC
getting a fast-tracked 3-year jail sentence handed down by an AI judge for a hallucinated crime with no jury or right of appeal. the future of Britain is here baby
Hey dumbasses,
“Biolabs” are research facilities, the type that track things like tick diseases.
The US does fund them globally, including in Ukraine, that’s not a secret.
Pretending it is a secret and pretending it’s something dangerous is a literal Russian talking point.
Bloomberg is owned by the world's 18th richest man.
Billionaires emit more carbon in one hour than a poor person does in a lifetime.
This is propaganda.
Israel says it won’t leave Lebanon, Syria, or Palestine.
A genocidal, expansionist state can openly declare the intent to occupy three nations without generating a single headline in Western media.
Over 100 people were arrested outside Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London during the sentencing of four Palestine Action activists involved in a raid on an Elbit Systems UK factory.
A sit-in involving around 200 people took place, alongside others holding placards saying: “Saving lives is not terrorism … I support Palestine Action.”
The demonstration consisted of peaceful protesters, including older participants, gathered outside the court in support of those being sentenced.
A number of older participants, some said to be in their late 80s and 90s, were also detained after taking part in a silent protest and holding supportive placards.
💢Two suspected Hezbollah drones struck an Israeli military zone in northern Israel near the Lebanese border early Sunday, the IDF said, with no injuries reported. Sirens warning of a “hostile aircraft infiltration” had sounded across several communities in the Western Galilee.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded by calling for the “Dahiya doctrine”, Israel’s strategy of using overwhelming, disproportionate force against civilian areas to deter attacks, named for the Beirut suburb it flattened in 2006. “I call on him to implement it with determination and force and to demolish buildings in Dahiya today as well,” Smotrich wrote, addressing Prime Minister Netanyahu. “We are in critical days of shaping the space for many years to come.”
Israel last struck Dahiyeh on June 7, killing two, and Iran has warned that any attack on Beirut would trigger an Iranian response and could reignite full-scale war across the region. Tehran has made an end to Israel’s war on Lebanon part of its ongoing negotiations with Washington, meaning a strike on Dahiyeh would likely complicate Trump’s push to finalize a MOU with Iran as early as Sunday.
Most amputees in Gaza don’t have access to prosthetics. This leaves them struggling with limited mobility and in need of support from others all the time. Help now: https://t.co/LLwKJegeB1
The Sameer Project took medical cases like this to provide medication and food packages to. Recently we stopped taking these cases due to the lack of funds, even though the need remains super high.
The medical system in Gaza collapsed and there are only a few hospitals operating. The military occupation barely allows any medication in and many of it is commercial so people need money to buy it.
The struggle with medical care is the reason we have a Medical Campaign. Please support us today: https://t.co/LLwKJegeB1
Other ways to donate include:
https://t.co/OmIU4SifDD (Paypal option, please make sure to add a message saying "Medical")
https://t.co/WNZu0ERJci (Venmo option, please make sure to add a message saying "Medical")