chiara di lello

My friend @JenniferLoewe10 has asked me to post the letter below, which she recently received from Hidiyya, a friend of hers from Rafah who she has know for more than two decades: I feel like we live on another planet, far removed from Earth. No one here can provide even the minimum amount of food for their families. The crossings have been closed for about five months and next to nothing gets in. Even if some international organizations try to bring in flour or canned goods, thieves steal them and sell them in the markets at exorbitant prices. Those who cannot afford food (at least bread) and do not have the money have no choice but to go to the American Death Centers. There, they may receive some canned goods or flour, but most often they do not receive anything because the amount of aid is very small compared to the number of people who go there. They often receive a bullet instead & well, that ends their life. Large numbers are killed daily in these Death Centers, as I call them. To make matters worse, thieves stand outside the centers, waiting for those who leave. At gunpoint, they steal what a few people have obtained and sell it in the markets at exorbitant prices. In any case, it is very rare for anyone to return with any food. A very few vegetables are available in the markets, but people's ability to buy them is non-existent. Everything available is stolen, but no one can buy anything. It’s all an absurd and nightmarish joke on us. Famine is starting to devour our bodies. We are starting to feel dizzy and exhausted. We are trying to keep living, but everything we stored has run out: pasta, rice, lentils, sauce, and canned food. We have nothing left. We ground the lentils and made bread from it. Even the food banks that used to provide people with lentils every day stopped providing this meal to people. We used to depend on it daily, but it stopped because the stock ran out. Here for four months we have not eaten eggs, cheese, dairy, any kind of vegetables, meat, fish, almost nothing here. We have lost a lot of weight, immunity and strength. People's faces are pale and thin. People cannot walk or make any effort with the high temperatures and humidity in the summer. Nothing is more important right now than saving children and infants from the food and medicine blockade. Everything else comes later. As you know, the decision to starve Palestinians, especially children, infants, and the elderly in Gaza, to death wasn't made yesterday. It was premeditated from the outset of the genocide 21 months ago, and is now being carried out in its most horrific form. No one is surprised. Everything was known, expected, and warned against. Mass starvation has already begun to claim lives. In Gaza, we have passed the point of no return. What distinguishes Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people is that it is completely without secrecy, without pause, and without any regard for the existence of Palestinians as human beings. The crimes are committed openly, loudly, without fear, and without accountability. Therefore, there is no longer a need for official orders. When the intent is this clear, there is nothing to hide. If this isn't genocide, what is?