In a letter to the editor, a Sarnia resident shares powerful, firsthand testimonies about the ongoing crisis in Palestine, detailing the human cost of the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.
Editor's Note: The Sarnia Journal publishes columns and opinion pieces from local residents on a variety of topics. The views expressed are those of the author.
Today, I want to share the story of Morgan Cooper, a US citizen who has lived in Ramallah, Palestine, for more than 20 years with her Palestinian husband and children. In one of her videos, she described the terrifying situation at her young child's school. The Israeli military invaded the area around the school, firing weapons and using various explosives. Her husband tried to reach the school, but the army blocked his car. Morgan said this kind of military action happens regularly in Ramallah and throughout occupied Palestine.
Another perspective comes from an interview with American nun Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos. In the interview with journalist Tucker Carlson titled "How Christians Live in the Holy Land," she described her decades-long experience in the West Bank. She refers to Hamas as a "Resistance movement that defends its people and land," and emphasized that Israeli policies have made life extremely difficult.
It is also important to highlight the work of human rights activist and independent journalist Andrey X. In one of his videos, he described actions by settlers in Tulkarem, West Bank. In response to a resistance operation, the Israeli army arrested 1,500 people there in one day, arresting every man they encountered, including teenagers and the elderly. This is a collective punishment, which is a war crime under international law. Andrey described Tulkarem as one of the most under-reported frontlines in Palestine. In another video, he documented Shimon Atia, a known settler, entering the Umm Al Khair area in the West Bank with a gun and a large stick. Shimon assaulted activists and harassed the residents but lied to the police about people harassing him. When the police and military arrived, instead of protecting the villagers, they allowed him to remain on their land. On July 1st, Atia came back, destroying the repaired fence and trees, and threatening the residents. These incidents are happening all over the West Bank.
Most recently, Dr. Nada Abu Alrub, a volunteer Australian doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital, spoke about the horrors she is witnessing there, the medical crises in Gaza, and the blockade of medical supplies. "Last night we had a slaughter, and the bombing is ongoing. You feel like they are trying all kinds of weapons on these people." She described "heartbreaking" scenes of entire families killed in Israeli attacks, arriving at the hospital in pieces. "You don't know whose hand is this and whose leg is this—it's kind of like a horror movie," she said, describing the hospital as a "slaughterhouse" and a "graveyard." "It's killing from every direction that you can ever imagine, psychologically, emotionally, physically. The type of injuries that I see the kids with, they are shredded into pieces. It's unacceptable."
Please consider these families who are calling out for urgent help:
