#OutlookMagazine Anniversary Issue | 'Gaza Is Our Home' - video Dailymotion

OutlookIndia

Researcher, writer and translator Yousef Aljamal highlights the human impact of the political situation through his mother’s and sister’s stories.  #Gaza #Palestine #Journalism #Journalist #Journocide #Devastation #Loss #HumanitarianCrisis #Military #IsraeliOccupation #Media #GazaGenocide #Israel #Bombing #Violence #Emotions #War #Palestinian #Palestine #WarOnGaza #Oppression #IReadOutlook #ReturnToReading

Transcript

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.

#OutlookMagazine Anniversary Issue | 'Gaza Is Our Home'

Category

Transcript

Recommended