By Every day, we’re being bombarded with graphic images and footage of Palestinian men and children suffering from their own indescribable plight, videos of wailing mothers losing their children, limbless and headless children caused by Israeli bombings, and much more.
The horrors we see are beyond our imagination, keeping us awake at night, crying helplessly knowing that we are not able to do much to alleviate the burdens of the women and children in Palestine.
Famous journalists like Motaz Azaiza and Shaun King have dedicated their days since October 7 to documenting, sharing, and raising awareness about the seriousness of the humanitarian crisis and war crimes being committed. May Allah Almighty grant them His Divine Blessings and Mercy to help people realize the reality of the situation.
However, as we brave ourselves to continuously witness the horrors of the current situation, especially those among women and children, we cannot ignore the unconditional sacrifice of our Palestinian men who constantly power through the horrid situation to save, provide comfort, and aid the survivors of the genocide.
As much as women and children are the face of the Palestinian plight, we should treat our brave and hardworking men the same way. This battle has not been easy for them, and many have been martyred along the way in their journey to save people’s lives.
The purpose of this piece is not to belittle the conditions and the suffering of our victims, who are among women and children, but to recognize the efforts of our courageous men to fight injustice and survive.
If you’re wondering what our men have done to save humanity since October 7 and even before that, here’s a list of things you should know:
Rescuing survivors from the rubble
Imagine not having enough manpower, with hundreds of people dying daily, and the remaining Palestinian men are the people’s only hope to help rescue survivors under big and heavy debris. Along with no access to food and water to provide them adequate energy, they’re running on adrenaline to save victims every single day without fail.
In an interview, when asked “What would you want to do after all of this is over?” one man said all he wanted to do was ‘sleep for two days straight’ to describe his exhaustion from the never-ending rescue. The video was gut-wrenching to watch considering their only dream is to fulfill their basic necessities.
Providing comfort and cheering children
Mothers are the place where children call home, but when mothers are not around to provide love and comfort anymore, that duty falls into the hands of other people — that includes men who are forced to put on a facade of cheerfulness and joy despite the challenges that they are actively enduring.
Journalists like Saleh Al-Jafarawi went viral for so many things since the genocide began, but he became mostly famous due to his heartwarming videos of comforting and playing with children who have been through such a traumatic experience. In his videos, he would sing and cheer the injured children who have lost their families.
Getting in line to get food and water supplies
When a man becomes the leader of a family, he is the chosen one to protect his family at all costs and risk his life and all basic needs for his family’s survival. In most cases, strong fathers and husbands would get in line for hours just to get a few slices of bread for the whole family and an insufficient supply of polluted water.
One father recently lost his whole family from a bombing, while he was out to get food and water for his family. May Allah Almighty grant all of them the strength to endure the excruciating mental, physical, and emotional agony, Ameen.
Documenting and sharing information with news sources
Many journalists on the ground try to cover as much as they can to win over the mainstream media controlled by the Israeli forces. Imagine moving thousands and even millions of people just by sharing photos and videos of the current situation in Gaza.
They are forced to capture such horrid photos and videos of children being brutally murdered and severely injured, just for the sake of spreading awareness and waiting for help to come.
Being kidnapped and tortured by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Last but not least, you may or may not have seen gore images of Palestinian men being piled up, undressed, and tortured by the IOF. These are the war crimes committed upon our innocent men, stripping their dignity off of them.
One man was forced to sing the Israeli national anthem, and he was slapped by the Zionist soldier when he didn’t follow through. These footages were recorded to humiliate the Palestinian men, but they will never be shamed in the eyes of humanity and most importantly, in the eyes of Allah Almighty, the All-Seeing.
As much as women and children are the face of the Palestinian plight, we should treat our brave and hardworking men the same way.
Times are tough and there is no better way to stop this genocide than by raising awareness, educating yourself and others, and sharing useful information related to the tragedy so it will constantly be etched in the minds of the people.
The goal here is to never stop talking about this issue, always push forward, beat the pause of momentum, overcome complacency, and always strive for social justice and equality for the sake of humanity.
May Allah grant His Divine Support and Favors to us all, especially our brave men for fighting, defending, protecting, and saving the Palestinian people, Ameen.