SHAH ALAM – Palestinians have long been praised for their resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship, but they no longer want to be defined by it.
Instead, they are calling for dignity, justice and meaningful international action to end what aid workers describe as a mounting humanitarian catastrophe.
American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sean Carroll said the world must stop glorifying Palestinian endurance and focus on ending the suffering in Gaza, where starvation, disease and preventable deaths, including among children, reflect a tragedy of historic proportions.
“Before this massive human tragedy and crime against humanity, most people in Gaza were leading normal lives, going to school and work, farming, running hospitals, fixing cars and enjoying restaurants and seaside resorts.
“One of the greatest sorrows is that the world never truly knew that side of Gaza,” Carroll said during one of the episodes of Palestinian Diaries on Sinar Daily recently.
He criticised the limited understanding many governments have of Gaza and Palestine, saying their policies remain “blinded” because they do not truly know the people or the land.
“The human body and psyche are resilient, but the resilience in Gaza, the resourcefulness, is something extraordinary and nobody should be forced to endure this,” he added.
Carroll described the situation as “a tragedy and crimes against humanity and war crimes on a scale that wouldn’t have been imagined” and repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire.
He emphasised the need for both the release of hostages and the freeing of Palestinians held without charge, along with an end to the bombardment so that recovery and reconstruction can begin.
Based on reports from Anera staff and his own visits to Gaza, he highlighted that the local population remains steadfast in its resolve to remain in its homeland and rebuild its communities despite the devastation.
“They are not broken. They do not want to leave their homeland. They tell us every day, ‘We are continuing to serve the community,’” he said, citing local efforts to operate health clinics, schools and food distribution for displaced families despite the siege.
Carroll outlined the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, from food and medicine to shelter.
Over the past 23 months, Anera has served more than 144 million meals, provided nearly half a million medical treatments, set up makeshift health clinics and delivered about 40 million litres of water, along with clothing, blankets and tents.
Yet even these efforts fall far short of demand.
“There is a huge problem with shelter. There aren’t enough tents and Israel hasn’t been allowing enough in. People are starving every day.
“Unfortunately, a growing number of Palestinians, including children, are dying of starvation and from diseases that would normally be preventable,” Carroll added.
He explained that the combination of malnutrition, lack of medicines and contagious illnesses is creating deadly conditions.
Supply lines for medical aid have been reduced to “almost nothing,” leaving clinics and hospitals struggling to treat even basic illnesses.
Carroll said a genuine humanitarian response would require all border crossings to be opened and staffed around the clock.
“Six or seven hundred trucks can come in every day easily, that’s what was happening not just before Oct7 but even during the brief ceasefire earlier this year.
“That is the level of aid that is needed, not the average of just over 100 trucks a day that we have seen over the past two years,” he said.