The iconic photo above was made last summer in Gaza during Israel’s 51-day massacre of people there. The girl’s name is Nema. She was playing in front of her home when a missile from an Israeli F-16 struck. Seven people were killed and eight others injured. Nema suffered a fractured skull and broken nose.
The girl’s story was broken by Jon Snow of Britain’s Channel 4. In the following report Snow returns to Gaza one year later and has a chance to meet up with Nema today.
In the report above, Snow mentions that daytime temperatures inside the metal containers reach as high as 60 degrees celsius. For Americans more accustomed to getting their temperature readings in fahrenheit, that’s 140 degrees.
That Israel is allowed to continue to enforce a blockade against these people is to humanity’s everlasting shame. I’m not sure what other word you can call it than that.
The attack in which Nema suffered her injuries occurred on July 19, 2014. On July 25, I posted an article about her which included the photo. The article is entitled “Israel is not Simply ‘Defending Itself,” and in one portion of it I discussed the attack on Gaza in the context of the Judaic religion and the Old Testament. You can click here to access it.
Now here we are a year later, with Gaza still in rubble. This nightmare at some point likely will end. (All nightmares do sooner or later.) Israel’s growing isolation will force either substantive changes in its policy…or possibly a dismantling of the Jewish state altogether. The question is, how many more people will die, and how many more children will see their lives shattered, before that day finally arrives?
Nema obviously looks much better today than she did a year ago, but let’s remember she’s still in Gaza…still inside the nightmare…and that the temperature in the metal boxes is 140 degrees.
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