All individuals committed to justice, human rights, and peace should consider taking a stand against injustice everywhere, regardless of the religion or ethnicity of those being oppressed.
Decades of territorial disputes have led to a situation where the people of Gaza have been forced to live with restricted access to resources, economic hardship, and limited mobility. Reports from international organisations have regularly documented cases of consistent violations of human rights in Gaza. This situation has now been worsened by the war being waged on the people of Gaza by the Israeli state.
Figures for the human cost, to the 2 million people residing in Gaza, are sobering. As of December 15, and since October 7, at least 18,787 have been killed — including at least 7729 children and 5153 women; more than 50,897 have been injured — including at least 8663 children and 6327 women. On top of this, at least 7780 people are missing amongst the rubble of the destroyed buildings. These buildings include over half of Gaza’s homes — 305,000 residential units have been destroyed or damaged; 339 educational facilities; 26 out of 35 hospitals are not functioning due to the destruction; and 197 places of worship have also been damaged.
For the past few weeks, the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne Stands with Palestine group has been gathering to show solidarity with the people of Gaza on Saturday mornings at Heipipi/Endeavour Park. The show of support from those driving past has been astounding and humbling.
The people of Tairāwhiti recognise injustice — so come and help to contribute to the global collective effort to bring about a life of dignity and freedom from oppression for the people of Gaza. The Tairāwhiti/Gisborne stands with Palestine group can be found on Facebook, where the details of future meetings can be found.
