Saxon de Kock

While much of the world watches the Israeli election results, counts seats, follows political alliances, and wonders what comes next, life in Gaza tells a very different story. This little girl arrived at Al-Rahma Clinic with painful burns on parts of her tiny body. She knows nothing of elections, political alliances, or politicians’ speeches. All she knows is that she is in pain. The world has moved from war to ceasefire, from ceasefire to elections, and from one headline to the next. But Gaza’s suffering has not followed the news cycle. The bombs may be falling less frequently, and politicians may now be busy counting votes. But children are still living among the ruins, bearing wounds, mourning loved ones, and enduring the consequences of a war that has taken almost everything from them. And as the world slowly grows accustomed to their suffering, there is something I fear almost as much as the suffering itself: that one day, we will look at a photograph like this and feel nothing. Look at this little girl. This is what a “ceasefire” looks like for her. The world may have moved on from Gaza. But Gaza’s children have not been given the chance to move on from what the world allowed to happen to them. #AlrahmaClinic