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Last words from Palestine: A memorial for the child martyrs

I ventured to the august city of Boulder and made my way to the Last Words from Palestine exhibit on the CU Boulder campus. A series of watercolor paintings in the shape of dragons unfolded before me, each hung high above a copper-colored brick wall for passing students to view and take the time to read.

For a moment I felt absolute silence as the wind blew through the water-colored kites. As they fluttered, goosebumps ran down my neck. I imagined these kites floating towards the sky, resembling the souls of all Palestinian martyrs ascending to paradise – a memorial to every Palestinian who lost their life in this long, brutal ethnic cleansing campaign.

Close-up of a paper kite. Photo credit: Mohammed Ahmad

Close-up of a paper kite. Photo credit: Mohammed Ahmad

Each kite featured an image of a Palestinian murdered in Gaza or the West Bank, decorated with watercolor images of Palestinian symbols: blood-red poppies, Yaffa oranges, olive branches, old lock picks and white doves, some with quotes from their last words before their martyrdom.

and quotes about their dreams and ambitions in life. Their names, ages and occupations were also displayed, a clear reminder of who these people were.

This art exhibition was immensely captivating and a call to the outside world that this barbarism has been going on for far too long. People who suffer the evil of genocide are sometimes always forgotten. They are invisible to the international world and succumbed to the insignificance of a statistic. By shining a light on the visibility of these men, women and children, SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) gives names and faces to the countless Palestinians who are brutally murdered by Israel every day.

As I took the time to read each dragon, I thought about how quickly those who suffer the horrors of genocide fade from existence. The outside world may never know these people. Each of them is overwhelmingly beautiful and full of life, dreams, and filled with so much love – many of them children.

Israel has robbed Palestinians of basic human lives, and in doing so, Palestinian lives have been reduced to a mere number. The international world is informed of Palestinian deaths only through harrowing statistics, without knowing and getting to know the faces and lives that Israel takes without regard.

As we witness this documented genocide unfolding right before our eyes, it is immensely important to remember each of our martyrs. Every loss of a Palestinian life is unbearable. They all had dreams and aspirations, like you and me. They were all mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers who dreamed of incredible, beautiful things for themselves and their families. So much of

The Palestinian livelihood has been demonized by the media and the world openly expects the Palestinians to be killed in silence, to accept whatever the colonial masters give them.

I spoke to an SJP member about the purpose of this art exhibition. She explained, “My goal in this is not only to give life to these people, but also to allow people to share in our humanity and to recognize that there are people like us over there who are experiencing this suffering and pain.” It has been 326 days of genocide in Gaza. Israel has claimed over 41,000 lives. Palestinians, including over 14,000 children. These numbers are disgusting.

Eileen Al-Khay was 7 years old. She was an artist and made drawings during the Israeli bombing to send to her uncle who lived outside Gaza. She was killed along with her 5-year-old sister Celine and her 6-week-old little brother Mahmoud in an Israeli airstrike on their home on October 13, 2023.

Ahmed and Asil Abu Asad were 12-year-old twins. Asil was a shy and sweet girl who wanted to be a fashion designer when she grew up. Ahmed, boisterous and full of life, wanted to be a football player. Two days before her murder, Ahmed went to the barber to get his hair cut and told his barber: “Even if I die, I want to look neat and good.” Israel killed both Ahmed and Asil on October 21, 2023.

Zain Al Bardasawi was 6 years old when he told his aunt: “Auntie Wafa, take me with you, hide me. I don’t want to die.” He was killed along with his brother Amr and his mother Alaa in an Israeli airstrike.

Sara Al-Haj, a two-month-old baby, was killed along with her father Majd and mother Amani in an Israeli attack on November 21, 2023.

Firas Al Ghaf was a baby, one year old. He was displaced with his family to Khan Younis due to Israeli bombings and the invasion of northern Gaza. Firas asked his father for a cookie to eat. When his father went to get his son a cookie, upon his return he found him killed in an Israeli airstrike along with seven other Palestinians who had all sought refuge. Firas Al-Ghaf was killed on December 28, 2023. His father’s harrowing words to his son’s lifeless body: “Wake up, Baba, I brought you the cookie,” as he places it in the hand of his martyred son.

Paper kite with the image of a young Palestinian. Photo: Mohammed Ahmad

Paper kite with the image of a young Palestinian. Photo: Mohammed Ahmad

Many of the children killed by Israel did not even have names. They were so young. They were babies who had not even touched the face of the earth. With their very first breath, a cry for their death was heard.

This is the greatest mass murder the world has ever seen. Gaza has unbearably become a graveyard for children. In a world stained with Palestinian blood, I urge you to remember each and every face of these martyrs. Let their names and final words be engraved in your memory – I hope they haunt you forever.

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