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Walaw

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Women in Gaza Don't Need Flowers: The Harrowing Reality of Conflict and Oppression

Friday 08 March 2024 - 14:40

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As the world celebrates International Women's Day with bouquets of red roses and boxes of chocolates, an unspeakable tragedy unfolds in the besieged Gaza Strip. While progress marches on, empowering women across the globe, Gaza's daughters find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of violence, suffering, and systemic oppression.

In the tapestry of human history, women have often been the silent victims of conflict, their voices muted by the deafening roar of war. Today, as the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close, the world has witnessed unprecedented advancements in women's rights, protected by the power of law. Yet, in this era of progress, the prevailing narrative surrounding the triumphant celebration of International Women's Day is shattered by the dystopian reality that exists within the confines of Gaza.

For the past six months, indiscriminate violence and destruction of war have inflicted immeasurable suffering upon the women of Gaza. The incessant death toll has surpassed a staggering 30,000, with the majority being women and children. These women die not only from bombardment but also from the overwhelming grief of losing loved ones, forced to grapple with the trauma of witnessing their cherished ones perish before their very eyes. They are the collateral damage in an unbalanced conflict, their bodies – dead or alive – reduced to desolate shapes amidst the complete destruction that has become a daily sight on international television screens.

Acute malnutrition is one of the alarming consequences of the merciless war waged by Israel against the Palestinians for several months, exacerbated by the harsh conditions of cold, rain, and expulsion. Generalized famine or malnutrition, to say the least, continues to ravage the women throughout the war-torn, relentlessly bombed Gaza Strip. In times of scarcity, these women bear the arduous task of ensuring the survival of their families, often sacrificing their own sustenance to feed their children. In a world where food is produced, consumed, and discarded in excess, the women of Gaza starve due to trivial interstate arguments about allowing aid access.

Irrespective of the constant fear, bombing, death, and starvation, systemic oppression is an additional plight that women in Gaza face continually. Be they laywomen, journalists, activists, or otherwise, they find themselves at the intersection of multiple forms of offense, harassment, and threats, enduring the dehumanizing effects of racial prejudice.

In this age of artificial intelligence, in this age of supposed peak civilization, we bear witness to the heartless, massive killings of people around the clock in Gaza, Palestine. At a time when women pilot planes, visit space, own giant businesses, lead countries, or simply live in absolute comfort and receive red flowers as tokens of love or recognition of their status in society, the women of Gaza are massacred live before the bare eyes of a seemingly plastic-eyed world.

As we celebrate the achievements of women globally, let us not forget the unseen tears and unheard cries of the women of Gaza, whose resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity serve as a testament to the indomitable spirit of womanhood.