I am relaying a message from Palestinian teenager Ahmad Marwan Abu-Daqqa, who is severely injured due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Source: Video via Filastiniyat (@filastinyat on Instagram), translated from Arabic.
Video description: a teen-age Palestinian kid from Gaza, with short dark brown hair, wearing a long-sleeved maroon-red t-shirt, sits indoors with their legs propped up and blankets covering their lap. One of their legs is entirely bandaged up to above the knee, & they speak:
“I am Ahmad Marwan Abu-Daqqa, 15 years old, from Gaza.
Before the war, I was an activist in the field of human rights and I also was the representative of the education sector in: “15 stars of Gaza” (UNRWA event). Then thanks to God, I became a representative of the Palestinian refugee students in the 5 regions in a speech I did in the UN in June 2023. I want to quote a statement from that speech which says:
‘We hope to wake up with optimism, not fear.’
[Ahmad repeats in English]
We hope to wake up, some day, with optimism, not fear.
[resumes speaking in Arabic]
Of course, I said that on behalf of the Palestinian children and the Palestinian refugee students. We dream that one day we’ll wake up with optimism, not fear. Today, we wake up with fear, martyrs, wounded, and injuries. We wake up with all sorts of pain.
Then, I got injured in this war. Now, because of this injury, my dream diminished from being the president of the state of Palestine or a diplomat… e.t.c, to only save my leg, or to being able to complete my treatment, just like any other wounded here in Gaza. My dream now has become to be able to go back to my normal life, to be able to walk on my leg again.
My message to the world: what is the children’s fault? What is the women’s fault? What is the elderly’s fault? What is the fault of the civilian men, also? Stop the genocide, this genocide that is happening to the people of Gaza. Stop the atrocities happening to the children, the women, the elderly, the men, and to all humans in the Gaza strip.
To whom has a hint of humanity, I am appealing to the whole world to stand against, or stand together to stop, this war on Gazans. I am also appealing to open the border to bring in the humanitarian aid, and to let wounded people, who are tens of thousands, to complete their treatment abroad. Only less than 1% of the number managed to go abroad to complete the treatment.
May peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.”
You can follow Ahmad on Instagram at @_crgr and you can watch this video on the pages of @Filastinyat or @EyewitnessPalestine or at http://tinyurl.com/messagefromahmad
End the genocide. Now.
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