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The current toll of children killed in Gaza by Israel hovers around 15,000, and the war is still ongoing. An Israeli military official told The New York Times that the war (and therefore ongoing genocide) in Gaza will continue until the end of the year.
It is very clear that neither Bibi, his government, the IDF, nor Hamas is interested in ending the war anytime soon. For Bibi, the war allows him to remain in power and avoid legal accountability for the corruption charges he was facing. Keeping the war going is beneficial to him, even if the Israeli hostages are killed in the process.
For Hamas, there is nothing more to lose. All of Gaza is destroyed, the world is outraged (rightfully so) at Israel. They still hold hostages that the Israeli public is demanding to be released, and for some strange reason, memes of Sinwar are being posted on social media like he is Che Guevara, when in fact, he is an egomaniac like Bibi who not only killed civilians in the kibbutzim that used to help Palestinians but also decided to play the role of Allah with the lives of 2.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, knowing full well Bibi and his government are Zionazis waiting to launch an operation like this to ethnically cleanse Gaza.
Ask any mother in Gaza who lost her child or had to bury her child in pieces if she is happy with Hamas's decisions or if she even supports them. You will find that most Gazans hate Hamas, despite the popular surge in the West Bank and the world on social media.
Oppressed people have the right to resist by any means necessary. That is a right sanctioned under international law. Gaza was under siege and dying slowly; something was bound to happen to break it free. But October 7th was not planned for liberation, nor was it properly planned at all. Many argue that Hamas got lucky or had support from Russia to ease the focus on Ukraine. Also, one can argue that Hamas could have attacked a military post, kidnapped soldiers, and negotiated the same terms without going into the kibbutzim, which gave Israel and Bibi the excuse and international support afterward to annihilate Gaza.
In the theater of war, political armed movements need to know their enemy, their targets, and their capabilities, and also win the people's support before subjecting them to the mercy of bloodthirsty racist armies. None of this was taken into account, and now we have this toll of dead children—a number that will rise. Moreover, we have, by conservative estimates, 20,000 orphans in Gaza. These orphans need support, healthcare, education, PTSD treatment, and some need prosthetic body parts.
If anyone has lived in the Arab world, they will immediately know that orphans are at the bottom of priorities. Gaza will need to be rebuilt at an estimated cost of $50 billion, which no one is now willing to pay for, and in the end, those kids will be forgotten, except when you are solicited for donations to them on Eid on Instagram.
So this begs the question: what do pathways to adoption from Gaza look like?
1. We know that adoption is more or less prohibited by Islam.
2. The culture of adoption is not integrated into Palestinian or Arab communities because the idea is that if you lose both your parents, the tribe will take you in.
3. Paperwork, legalities, and passage from Gaza to Egypt and elsewhere will be a headache to navigate.
4. Identity protection from erasure. If these kids are taken into homes, how do we ensure that we keep them Palestinian and within their faith? This was a major issue for Jewish orphans in World War II who were taken by the Vatican and converted. It led to a scandal years later and kept the trauma ongoing for the kids who are now adults.
With the points mentioned above, it would seem logical, to me at least, that we need a “Yeshiva” model for Palestinian children. Ideally, proper institutions that provide housing, education, and healthcare fully paid for and operated by the Palestinian and pro-Palestine diaspora community in friendly host nations that have great economic opportunities and can provide those kids with naturalization and citizenship. Countries like Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Chile, and the United States, where there is a vibrant and highly educated Palestinian and pro-Palestinian community, can build, support, and fund such houses.
I have not added Arab countries to this list because, quite frankly, I believe it will be almost impossible to deal with the political buy-in from Arab governments due to 20+ years of wars in the region. However, we will absolutely get donors from the public to support it.
This project will require engaging with highly accredited adoption agencies that work in conflict zones, proper educational and dormitory institutions, and international governments that will accept a quota of kids into their nations as citizens or legal residents.
Can it be done? Yes. This model was built before by Jewish refugees and the diaspora after World War II and adopted by other organizations afterward. How it can be done, given the circumstances, is the real question.
I would be happy to work on this with anyone interested. If this resonates with you, drop me a message.
Please support the following organizations that are on the ground in Gaza
PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/
HEAL Palestine: https://www.healpalestine.org/
Islamic Relief USA https://irusa.org
EFE Gaza appeal : https://www.efe.org/gaza
