Reading in Resilience
Palestinian women and children in Jerusalem (2005)
Credit: Daniel Maleck Lewy / Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
“Stop. Please watch my video for five seconds to help save my family,” is one of many openings on TikTok that Palestinians say to fund their family's survival in Gaza. A phrase that is used to hope that their viewers on the social media platform will help them during a time of horror. TikTok is a social media platform that allows Palestinians to communicate their message to the world. These posts appear on the “For You Pages” of TikTok, where viewers help raise tens of thousands of dollars for Palestinian families seeking to travel safely to neighboring Egypt. Although Palestinian Arabic is the native language in Gaza, many Palestinians speak in English on TikTok, allowing a wider audience to reach. Their ability to read, speak, and communicate in a language that is not native is a testament to their bravery and resilience. Literacy and education are crucial components of Gazan culture, and their knowledge is a testament to their resilience during a genocide.
Currently, the Israeli military has the deadliest campaigns in history. Israel’s offensive has destroyed over two-thirds of all structures in northern Gaza and a quarter of buildings in the southern area of Khan Younis, by some measures outpacing Allied bombings of Germany during World War II. This brutal destruction leaves Palestinians with very little for a quality of life, and no foundation structure to rebuild their life after this conflict is over. In 2023, nearly half of the population was under 18, showing that victims of these brutal bombings are children, not terrorists. This humanitarian issue reveals the true strength of the youth during a fearful time.
International Law
On October 7, 2023, Hamas, an Islamist militant group that has controlled the Gaza Strip for almost 20 decades, launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Over 200 hostages were seized and over 100 are still unaccounted for. Since the attacks, the United Nations has reported that currently 45,059 Palestinians have been killed with 107,041 injured. Israel has completely sieged Gaza, which consequently created a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
On January 6, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip and prevent genocide by ensuring sufficient humanitarian assistance and basic services. In response, Israel has failed to provide the basic needs of Gazan citizens due to Israel’s relentless bombardment and the tightening of its 16-year-long illegal blockade. The state’s negligence of international law has caused thousands of innocent lives to be at stake.
The ICJ serves two functions: 1) To settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted by States and 2) To give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies. However, the ICJ lacks the capacity to directly punish states. Although this institution’s rulings are legally binding, if the disputant states choose not to comply with them, rulings can only be enforced through a decision by the UN Security Council. As of November 20, 2024, the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza due to the United States’ veto.
South Africa filed its Memorial to the ICJ on October 28, 2024, in its case on the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa vs. Israel). Legal researchers in South Africa were instructed to focus the evidence on “Israel’s ultimate objective” to obliterate Gaza and force out the Palestinians living there, listing a litany of examples where Israeli politicians and senior government officials spoke about “wiping out Gaza” and “forcing Palestinians out.” Alongside South Africa’s case, the UN Special Committee and Amnesty International conclude the presence of genocide in Gaza, further showing that the international community condemns the actions that the Israeli government is taking to hurt Palestinian people with destructive force and minimizing humanitarian aid.
Current Conditions in Gaza
Palestinians are currently facing a dangerous absence of necessities. Attacks surrounding hospitals have left much of Gaza’s population without access to medical care and the huge number of casualties has left health facilities and workers overwhelmed. Due to destroyed lands and a severe lack of humanitarian aid being blocked by Israel, Gazans are without food. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, states that food is increasingly used as a weapon against civilians, and is seen through children in Gaza who are dying of starvation and severe malnutrition.
Israel is the key player in withdrawing basic amenities that are creating irreversible damage to Palestinians, by blocking humanitarian aid and attacking near hospital grounds. UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder commented on his experience in Gaza, “I saw homes sliced open with no exterior walls, their contents exposed like doll houses. And I saw the eerie remnants of normal life, like a sofa on a third-floor apartment with no walls…or what was once a child’s bedroom with pink blankets, shelves full of books, and fluffy stuffed toys, still there as if waiting for their return.” Hundreds of homes are destroyed and many displaced people have nowhere else to turn.
Gaza’s only open border, Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, is tightly controlled and the fee to cross costs $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per child, according to Palestinians who have recently left Gaza. As Palestinians live in constant threat of danger and do not have basic human needs, they do not have the financial security necessary to pay for such a large fee. Thus, many Palestinians are turning toward TikTok to seek help for their family.
Value of Education
Education in Palestine is a critical piece of resistance in their community. In 2023, the United Nations stated that despite the prolonged occupation, ongoing conflict, and internal divisions faced by Palestinian boys and girls, their literacy rate was 97.7%. In comparison, 28% of United States adults ranked the lowest literacy level in 2023. The contrast between a child’s ability to read in Gaza and an adult in the United States reflects how even in a time of danger, children in Gaza can persevere through their education. Reading is a sign of resistance, in which children remain educated despite food insecurity and displacement.
Despite the challenges before October 7, 2023, more than 95% of children across Palestine were enrolled in basic education and literacy rates are higher than in Hong Kong and Singapore. The efforts for students to learn are a product of educators and schools are cultivating an environment for growth. Most students graduate from high school and 57% of students at the Islamic University of Gaza were female. This percentage reveals how education is an open opportunity for both men and women, ensuring that education is a core value for Palestinians.
Now, these academic spaces have quickly become destroyed pieces in history. In September 2024, more than 625,000 children in Gaza were without education, and at least 93% of school buildings were either damaged or destroyed. Children should never live in an environment where a human right such as education is taken away. In a culture that fosters high potential for its children to learn and grow into well-rounded individuals, they instead live in a world where they are starved by the forces blocking humanitarian aid and destruction.
Hundreds of children’s lives are being cut short by the starvation and threat of destruction in Gaza. Families are looking for a way to survive, rather than being able to support their children’s big dreams. Omar Rashid, a Palestinian displaced about 10 times in the last two years, was accepted into the Class of 2029 for Dartmouth University, but may not be able to attend the university because he is trapped in Gaza.
Despite the dangers in his home region, Omar took a chance to pursue a higher education and was accepted into one of the most prestigious universities. Yet, he cannot afford to leave because of Israel’s control of Rafah, the only border that would allow him to leave. His continuing story shows the bravery of Gazans in pursuing their aspiration during a time of mass devastation. As Israel’s government continues to control the Rafah border and control the supplies entering and exiting the region, his chances to pursue an education may not come true.
Families continue to suffer, turning toward social media outlets such as TikTok in hopes they will accumulate enough money for their families to evacuate. Due to famine in the region and constant threats, there is no way to ensure proper survival in Gaza.
The Future
After South Africa submitted its case on the genocide orchestrated by Israel, Al-Jazeera stated that “Israel has until July 2025 to submit its counter-arguments. After that, oral hearings at the ICJ are anticipated in 2026 – which means the legal process may extend for years.” Recently, a ceasefire deal was established on January 19, 2025, in which Israel and Hamas are expected to release hostages on both sides. This event is extraordinary for the youth in Gaza who are facing severe starvation and the absence of basic necessities. However, with the ceasefire, many displaced Palestinians are returning to houses that are now rubble, where over 90% of housing units in Gaza are destroyed. The people of Gaza deserve a chance to live, as their core values in education and spirit have persisted, but promising youth like Omar Rashid cannot rebuild their culture, and life, or succeed in their dreams if this conflict does not have an official end. Hopefully, this ceasefire will become permanent in order for the children of Gaza to receive necessary humanitarian aid, otherwise, more lives will be lost during this catastrophic conflict.
