About 10,000 Palestinians remain missing, believed to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings during Israel's genocidal war. Six months into the so-called ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, thousands of families still cannot bury their loved ones.
Iran is the cradle of one of the greatest civilizations this planet has ever seen. While our ancestors in Europe were still figuring out how to build a hut, the Persians had already written the world's first declaration of human rights, built a multicultural empire that treated conquered peoples with dignity, and were doing math and medicine that we wouldn't catch up to for a thousand years.
Mahmoud Shamiya, a university graduate who dreamed of becoming a teacher, now spends his days navigating a deadly routine in a displacement camp. He reflects, 'The occupation and this war came and destroyed all the landmarks of education in Gaza. Today, we have become aimless, jobless, and hopeless. We live a deadly routine.'
Sawsan al-Jadba describes her lost land as a deep wound in her chest, a nightmare she never imagined living through. Despite the destruction, she is determined to stay put with her daughters and grandchildren, cultivating her remaining plot again despite limited resources.
In the Al-Taghreba shelter in Khan Younis, the displaced refused to let the rituals of Ramadan die. They made their own decorations, recycling cola cans into radiant lanterns that hung between the tents.
Hamza Nabhan, a medical student, stated, 'I will continue to say it: the paramedics, the firefighters and the civil defence workers are the real heroes of this war.'