Every day, my inbox is populated with emails about Gaza. Those messages come from people and organizations that refuse to cede ground to apartheid Israel. Today’s emails include updates from fundraisers for Palestinian families and UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) whose subject line read: 800 killed in Gaza just trying to get food. Yes, starving people assassinated by Israel and its chief sponsor, the United States taxpayer, for the crime of needing food for their families.

Heartbroken and enraged, I turned to If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose by Refaat Alareer. Refaat was murdered by Israel on December 6, 2023, and his work published posthumously with support from the global community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following excerpt is from “In Gaza, We Have Grown Accustomed to War” (October 19, 2023):

Death and war. War and death. These are two persona non grata, yet we can’t force them to leave. To let us be.

Palestinian poet Tamim Barghouti summarizes the relationship between death and the Palestinians that war brings (my translation):

It was not wise of you, Death, to draw near.

It was not wise to besiege us all these years.

It was not wise to dwell this close,

So close we’ve memorized your visage

Your eating habits

Your time of rest

Your mood swings

Your heart’s desires

Even your frailties.

O, death, beware!

Don’t rest that you tallied us.

We are many.

And we are still here

[Seventy] years after the invasion

Our torches are still alight

Two centuries

After Jesus went to his third grade in our land

We have known you, Death, too well.

O, Death, our intent is clear:

We will beat you,

Even if they slay us, one and all.

Death, fear us,

For here we are, unafraid.

Here’s a link to buy If I Must Die (paperback is also available for pre-order).
Here’s a link to donate to UNRWAUSA.org (and yes, they’re still operating in Gaza). This from their email: Our 12,000 UNRWA colleagues in Gaza are still distributing food, water, and medical care, as best they can, every day, under unimaginable circumstances.

Even after more than 320 of our UNRWA colleagues have been killed. Even after dozens of UNRWA shelters have been hit. Even after borders are blocked and bombs continue to drop.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.