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Israel's offensive in Gaza begs the question of how serious the world is about preserving the rights of children
Published : 28 May 2024, 03:10 PM
Since Oct 7, 2023, a war has been raging between the peoples of Israel and Palestine. The conflict has devastated the lives of millions of people on both sides.
This is not a new conflict. Some would argue that it goes back all the way to May 14, 1948, when the state of Israel was established in a land where Palestinian Arabs had lived for generations. Others would say it started long before that.
But, it is the current state of this conflict that demands our attention.
Today, children are dying in Gaza at an alarming rate. Since Israel began its offensive, the UN estimates over 13,000 have died. Thousands more have been injured.
Around 1.7 million people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced, forced to leave their homes. Half of that number is children.
These numbers, like many other aspects of this conflict, are debated. Each side is interested in turning them to their advantage.
But what should not be a matter of debate is the necessity of protecting the children of Gaza and ensuring their rights.
We should ask, no matter which side we are on – what have the children done to deserve this horror? Why are they being deprived of their rights?
They are human beings and have the same rights as anyone else. They also have children’s rights, those we reserve for young people to protect and nurture.
They are not unrealistic things. They are the basics – the right to live, the right to eat, the right to education and the right to health care.
Why are these rights being stripped from the most vulnerable among us? And why aren’t we doing more to stop it?
It is a dark time in Gaza. And things may get darker as peace talks continue to end in stall and starvation looms. Regardless, we must remember - no matter what our beliefs, we must work to save the children.
Reporter’s age: 16 | Rangpur
